The Reason
by Toshiku Yumari
Summary: Toshiku Yumari is different;technically, she's a Digimon.And not just because she's digi-destined.She feels as if she doesn't belong anywhere, but when she recieves a mysterious phone message, she wonders if everything is about to change forever. KojiXOC
1. Prologue

Prologue:

_"We're losing her!"_

_"No! Even if she survives, she'll have nowhere to go."_

_"That's not important now! Just try to start her heart again!"_

_"Huh? A Digi-destined…"_

"You're going to pay for that one Rio!"

"But I didn't mean to break it Hiroshi!" Rio exclaimed, trying to pry himself from Hiroshi's grasp.

Hiroshi's little group of 'friends' simply laughed at Rio's statement. They didn't care if it was an accident or not. They wanted to beat on someone. Rio just happened to be the unlucky candidate. Like he was whenever they were bored.

"No! Please! Leave me alone!" Rio shouted, tears of the on-coming pain he would have to endure flowing from his eyes.

I'd had enough of watching and feeling pitiful towards all of the kids that had been made subject to Hiroshi's torture. I'd even heard rumors that he had threatened to kill someone. And had gone through with it.

I sprung from my spot on a high window sill, and sprinted towards them. Hiroshi saw me coming, but made no move himself to get at me. I guess he wasn't sure what I was doing.

I passed Rio, who had been dropped on the ground only a minute before. He watched me with wide, still tear-filled eyes as I approached Hiroshi, still at a dead run.

I was only inches from him when I pulled my arm back, and let it lash out in as hard of a punch I could conjure on such short notice. I obviously had taken him by surprise; his mouth had dropped open when I punched him, leaving a few tooth marks on my knuckles. He fell backwards and onto his back, knocking over a few of his buddies in the process.

I kept my fist clenched, feeling the warm, scarlet blood flow freely from the open wound. I would wrap it up later.

Hiroshi looked up at me, a newly kindled hatred gliding over his face. He stood back up, all the while he was glowering at me, shadows faded and re-appeared over his face.

He slammed his own fist into my face before I got the chance to move, knocking me back a few feet, and most likely giving me a black eye. I hit the ground, and lying on my side I looked back up at Hiroshi with a look of death.

_"Kill him. Kill him now while you have the chance! Use your ability! Kill them all!"_

My thoughts were so tempting. I didn't know how they got so bad.

Something must've flashed across my face, or must've shone in my eyes, whatever it was clearly unnerving them. They all took a step back, before following Hiroshi in a hasty retreat. They darted through the hallway, and turned a corner. I guessed that they were heading back to their assigned rooms.

I got up from the ground, my hand covering my throbbing eye. I felt a tug on the back of my shirt. I turned to see the teary-eyed Rio standing there behind me. He was clearly happy to see Hiroshi and his group leave, but he seemed puzzled about something. I was certain that he was going to share his reason for puzzlement with me.

He did. "Toshiku, why did you do that? You got hurt; didn't you know you would get hurt?"

I glanced at him with my good eye, considering leaving him without an answer, let him figure it out on his own. But I thought a second time, this time deciding to tell him. Maybe he could use the same reasoning later on in his life.

I sighed, and replied, beginning to walk away, "When you have no one, you protect everyone."


	2. Chapter 1: Destiny

Chapter 1: Destiny

"Hiya Koichi." I greeted the little orange and black caterpillar that seemed to crawl up the side of the wall almost everyday.

He seemed to reply by stopping and looking at me with big, shiny black eyes. He then continued scooting up the wall.

"Hey! I dare you to eat that caterpillar!" I heard two people approaching.

"Fine," the other answered. "I will!"

One of the kids ran up past me—I guessed it was the kid that had been dared—and picked Koichi up off the wall. Something snapped. It might've been one of the kid's bones.

I jumped at him, folding his arm behind his back in a way it probably shouldn't have been able to go, and forced him to the ground. "Don't even think about eating Koichi!"

I let go of the kid's arm and both of them took off running. I wasn't sure if one of them had been a girl, but one was sure screaming like one. I blinked a few times, a bit surprised by the odd screaming, but then returned my attention to the problem at hand: Where did Koichi go?

"Koichi? Where'd you go buddy?" I called his name out a few times, and looked around every wall that was in close range that he could've gotten to, but didn't see him at all.

I gave up after a little while, assuming that he'd either been killed or had already gone back out the window. I flopped onto my bed, accidentally hitting the side with the broken spring and sending a metal projectile into my shoulder blade.

I sighed, first I got a black eye, then I lost Koichi, and then I got a spring in my shoulder. What was going to go wrong next?

I stared up at the dust-tinted white ceiling, figuring that it was going to come crashing down on me at any time. But, it wasn't the ceiling that was gonna be crashing down. A little black ball of fur—or at least that's what I assumed it was at first—landed on my face. I picked it up with two fingers, only to see Koichi.

"Koichi buddy! Since when were you on the ceiling?" I smiled at him as I held him in the palm of my hand.

I turned my head as my phone started to speak. I set Koichi down on the bed, being careful not to set him on any springs that would stick him in the ceiling like a poster.

I picked my phone up as it continued, "Toshiku Yumari. It's time to decide your future Toshiku."

"Uh…what?" I was slightly confused. First things first, it was unknown, and no one called my cell phone in the first place, I'd been wondering for a while why I had it. Second, how did this person know my name? I didn't think I had any family friends. I barely had any family.

Nevertheless, she continued, "Your destiny is calling you. Take the five forty-five out-bound train."

"What? What are you talking about?" I asked, confusion and bewilderment running hand-in-hand inside my head. Part of me felt like I understood completely, the other seventy-five percent felt more clueless than a bag of rocks.

I glanced at the clock. Five thirty-seven.

I groaned, "You should've called earlier!"

I dashed towards the door. "Don't let anybody eat you Koichi! I'll see ya 'round!"

And with that, I ran through the hall, dodging people here and there, but most of them moved out of my way. They could tell I wasn't planning on stopping, and, for the most part, they would be right.

I punched out of the building like a bullet, my black hair that never considered what I wanted it to do flowing in my face. But a sudden, cold wind whipped it out of my eyes. I looked up, only to see dark clouds forming above me. I wondered if it was going to storm, but when I looked ahead, there was nothing but sunshine and fluffy, white puffs of cloud.

It wasn't going to storm; it was just there because lightning wanted to hit me. That was all.

I pulled out my phone and looked down at the screen as I ran. More specific directions were flashing on the screen.

'_Take the 5:45 Shibuya bound train from Jiyuugaoka Station'_

Couldn't get more specific than that. I looked down at the clock on my phone. Only a couple of minutes were left before five forty-five.

I turned a corner and groaned. A truck was sitting in the middle of a four-way stop, and there was traffic all over. I didn't like cars, or trucks, or any kind of automobile. And I had good reason.

I moved along the building, staying as far as possible from the cars, not wanting to get in the way, or get hit by one. I kept running as soon as there was barely a car in sight.

I was at the station in no time; actually, it took me longer than it should have. I looked at the clock in front of me. One minute.

"Gahhhh!" I complained as I dashed past a kid wearing goggles over a brown hat. He seemed to be upset about the time too.

"Why does this always happen to me?!" He whined, running along side me towards the ticket machine.

"Because you wear goggles. They make you run slowly, now shut up." I replied to his complaint even though the question had been rhetorical.

I dashed ahead of him, but, being obviously upset about my comment, he shoved me to the side, and I slammed into a pole.

"Grr…_kuso-atama!" _I shouted after him, non-too pleased with the face plant into a pole.

I pushed myself off of the pole—I couldn't help but notice that I'd left a red smudge—and sprinted towards the ticket machine.

It had obviously been tempered with, and kept spurting out ticket after ticket. I took advantage of the malfunction, taking one of the tickets. I knew that this was technically stealing, but who was I to care. I was going after my destiny. I could handle a fee.

I ran around a corner, scanning the ticket into the machine as I did. I dashed up the closest flight of steps, and saw that kid that had shoved me into the pole also running up them.

He was shouting, "Wait! My destiny!"

Even though the out burst had been pretty uncalled for, it told me one thing: That guy—even though he had a peanut in between his ears—had received the same message as I had.

I turned to see a few people staring at him, and felt that I would've stopped to stare too, if I hadn't had somewhere to be.

I sunk to the floor of the train, surprised that I'd been able to make it all the way here in a minute. It seemed like it had taken an hour.

I looked around as everyone's phones started going off, along with mine. I pulled it out, wondering if everyone had gotten the same message. I groaned again as my phone stated, "Transfer to the six o'clock subway from the Shibuya Station."

I flinched as I heard someone shout, "Ohh, come on! Give me a break! I'm doing the best I can!"

I jumped out of the train as soon as it stopped and the doors had opened. I stood there for a moment, just trying to figure out where I was heading. As soon as everything cleared in my head, I dashed forward, not noticing the person that had just walked in front of me.

I crashed into him, knocking both of us to the ground.

"Oh," I pushed myself off of him and sat down, rubbing my head. It'd been getting hit by a lot of stuff today. "Sorry. Are you—huh?"

He sat up, also rubbing his head. Probably because I made it collide with the ground. He looked at me; his eyes were like a clouded drop of rain, the sunlight glittering off its side, giving the brilliant color life.

His hair was long and black, tied back in a pony-tail, while his bangs were kept by the sides of his face by a blue bandana with copper-colored strips. His shirt was yellow, the collar a navy blue. A blue sweatshirt with yellow bands running down the length of the sleeves covered his arms. His pants were gray and stopped near the end of his shins, branching off to blue socks and white shoes with a blue striped design on them.

"Hey," I asked as he stood up, offering his hand to help me up. Part of me had a feeling he didn't do that often. "What's your name?"

He waited for a minute before answering, considering whether or not to tell me. But he eventually said, "My name's Koji Minamoto. You are?"

"I'm…Toshiku…Yumari." I was pretty sure that I'd almost forgotten my name.

Koji gave a small smile, before turning to leave and saying, "I'll see you around. Toshiku."

I couldn't feel my fingers as I replied, "Yeah, see ya…Koji…"

And with that, he walked away, becoming engulfed in the sea of people.

I stood there, looking after him for a while, knowing I was wasting time, but I didn't care. I was absorbed in his eyes, and the way that his hair flowed out behind him.

I shook my head, remembering that I had to get to an elevator, or steps, they would work too. I quickly moved forward, hoping I wasn't already too late. I dashed into a more open area—still filled with people—only to watch the elevator doors close.

I growled in annoyance, and made my way over to the stairs. I took them at least four or so steps at a time, knowing I was going to go tumbling down a few of them sometime. I slide to a stop when the steps ended into a breaking point, nearly falling down the next flight, and the next, and the next. I grinded my teeth as I realized I would never make it if I just kept running on the steps. I glanced at the rail for a split second, got an idea, and then looked at it again.

I looked back down the steps. No one in sight. I looked back at the rail, shrugged, and jumped on. This was much easier—and faster—than running.

I took a quick look down the rest of the steps; there was someone running down them near the rail.

"Watch it!" I called out to him, hoping this wouldn't end in a collision.

He looked back, and jumped out of the way.

I smiled and waved as I went by.

I turned back around and watched for more people as I wondered who that guy was.

The last steps came faster than I thought they would. I was paying too much attention to watching out for people, and not enough to what came at the end of the steps; the ground.

I tried to catch myself on the steps, but I acted too late, and slid from the railing onto the floor. I groaned and stood up. I dusted off my jeans as I walked through the hall I'd ended up in and towards a more open room. The echoes of trains were coming from it.

I realized why (I already had a pretty good idea) when I walked into it. There were at least five trains, all of them different colors, all of their doors wide open. I glanced up at a clock. Only a few more minutes till six.

I ran forward again, only to stop when I saw the boy from the first train I'd been on run out of the elevator. What had he said his name was? I saw him vaguely glance in my direction before jumping onto one of the blue trains.

I remembered his name then. I whispered it to myself, no idea why, it just…happened, "Koji…"

"It's up to you now," my phone stated. It seemed to talk to me at the most random of times. "Which one will you choose?"

I looked up at the trains. "…Well, is there a wrong train? If so, do I get any hints at the right ones?"

The phone just seemed to stare back at me blankly. I slipped it into my pocket as I took a mental note: Phone doesn't answer, phone command.

I looked back up as one of the train doors slammed shut. The clock had struck six. I was almost out of time. I ran forward, jumping through one of a brown train's doors, my foot getting caught in that door as it closed.

I let out a yell and tried to pull it through the door. It wasn't coming. I let out a sigh and fell back against the floor.

"I hope this isn't a long ride." I mumbled, also hoping that there weren't any tunnels that would decide I didn't need that foot any more.

I glanced around me, and nearly screamed in terror in the process. I hadn't noticed all these people around me before. There was one blonde girl that seemed to have fallen into a can of purple, lavender, and pink paint, and was staring at me. Probably because of the whole foot thing. Then there was also some other guy in a blue and yellow jumpsuit eating a bar of chocolate. He'd glanced at me every now and then, but he seemed to mainly be focusing on the girl, and the chocolate. The last person in the same train car I was in was a little boy; he had to have only been in third or fourth grade. A large orange hat hid his face from my view. But from what I could see, he was crying. I felt a little bad for the guy.

"Hey, what's wrong little buddy?"

"Huh?" He looked down at me, immediately noticing that I was pretty much half in and half out of the train. "Your…your foot…"

I looked down at it for a minute. Then looked back up at him and said, smiling slightly, hoping to cheer him up a bit. "Oh, yeah, happens. I don't really need that one anyway."

He smiled a little, he may have even uttered a bit of a laugh, but he almost immediately looked back down at the floor in front of him, a cloud of sadness covering his face.

I frowned at his reaction. I'd tired cheering people up before, and it usually ended like this, but this time I felt bad I hadn't done a very good job.

I heard the train door open and looked to see who it was. I scowled to see the kid with the hat and goggles.

He glanced around the room, noticing all of the people, four sitting where they should be, one on the floor.

"Uhh, you here because of the phone thing?" He asked, pointing to his own phone.

The girl and dude in the jumpsuit both nodded.

The girl didn't leave it at just a nod, she added a statement, "With him here, there's four of us, maybe that means something special."

I looked at her and asked, "Which one of us are you forgetting?"

"Oh!" She smiled as an apology. "Make that five of us."

"Huh? Something special? What? Why'd you guys get on this train?" he asked, apparently trying to take it all in. I was mentally yelling at him to pop.

"Uhh…" The girl mumbled, probably trying to think of an answer.

"I mean, was it…the message?" He asked, trying to make sense of this to not only himself, but the other three as well. I was just laying there, trying to figure out a way to get my foot out of the door before it got chopped off. I was lucky it hadn't been cut off by a tunnel already.

"Hey kid," the jumpsuit dude said—rather rudely if you asked me. Though I knew nobody would. "This was the closest train to the elevator okay? Now look, just leave me alone."

The goggled-wonder took a step back, and by his reaction I could tell he hadn't taken too kindly to the reply. "Well jee, sorry."

Jumpsuit sighed before apologizing, "I'm just nervous."

Goggles continued nevertheless, this time addressing Lavendy over there. "But, there must be a reason you picked this train, right?"

She giggled before saying, "I'm like him, it was closest to the elevator."

Jumpidisuit smirk-smiled before saying to Goggly, then to Lavendy, "Watch this. Hey honey, you want some chocolate?" He pushed Goggle-kid out of the way and continued, "Move!" He pointed at himself and kept on going, whether anyone wanted him to or not. "So, my name's JP, what's yours?"

"JP?" I asked. "What's that supposed to stand for? 'Just pickles' or something?"

He scowled at me, but returned his attention to the other girl as she giggled again and said her name, "I'm Zoe, it's nice to meet you."

Goggles peered out from behind JP and added, "And I'm Takuya. Hi there," then he looked down at me and scowled before growling, "You!" He almost randomly smiled. "What's your name?"

Even though I wasn't planning on answering him, the little boy sitting in on the bench next to me began to talk a little. "I'm…I'm Tommy but…I didn't wanna get on this train…" As he spoke, he broke into a few sobs. I felt bad that I hadn't cheered him up better when I'd had the chance.

"What're you saying?" Takuya asked, obviously not getting what Tommy was getting at.

He continued to let out a few more sobs as he continued, "Two kids…bullies, they pushed me on the train and shut the door." He finally burst into one much louder sob as he turned to face everyone. "Why are kids always picking on me?"

Tears flowed down his cheeks as I heard JP muttered, "Jeez, this kid's like a faucet."

"JP!" Zoe scolded. I wouldn't have stopped there; I would've tossed him out of the train if I could've reached him. "Don't worry Tommy; you're safe now that you're with us."

"Yeah little buddy, I'll watch out for ya when we get where we're going, wherever we're going." I told him with a smile.

The train made an almost un-machine like sound as the lights flickered out and it surged forward. It rattled and tossed everyone to the ground, except for me, I was already there.

I looked around, and saw strange cloud like images of creatures cover everyone for a split second. I looked down at my own hand, and caught a glimpse of talons escape back into my hand. Inside me my heart felt like a part of it was being torn out and stretched.

I heard a beeping noise and pulled out my phone, expecting to get another message from that anonymous person again, but there wasn't a new message. It instead exploded into a burst of light, fading down into a small, black and white device.

"Welcome to the Digital World, Toshiku. This is your D-Tector."

"What?!" Takuya blurted out. "What've I gotten myself into?!"

"Weren't you listening?!" I asked him.

But he just ignored my question.

Suddenly light flooded in through the windows, and I could actually see what was going on. I couldn't help but notice that for a moment, we'd been going straight up.

"Did you guys get that message too?" Takuya asked everyone, I wasn't sure if that was including me or not.

Nobody replied.

But the train did. It let out an extremely loud wail.

"Aww man!" Takuya complained as everyone covered their ears. "You could hear that on Mars!"

"Hey," Zoe asked as she looked out the window. "Are those ghosts?"

"I wouldn't know," I replied, even though I kinda figured the question wasn't directed at me. "I can't see them. But does anyone else feel a breeze? Or is it just me?"

My foot suddenly felt very cold.

"They look like it." Tommy agreed.

"Or marshmallows! They go great with chocolate." JP added, licking his lips.

"Hey!" Takuya added, jumping up by the window. "One of them has a shoe!"

I looked up at him. "What color is it?"

"Uhhh…" He squinted; he probably needed glasses, or those goggles. "It's black, and this weird color of brown. Why do you ask?"

"'Cause," I let my head rest on the ground; my foot still feeling colder than normal. "It's my shoe."

"They're probably ghosts of kids that came here before!" Then he added while smirking at me, "And that steal shoes."

"Jeez, calm down Takuya, we're all in this together." Zoe told him, still looking out the window.

"What?! I'm not!" I protested, glaring at Zoe as I spoke.

"Yes you are, and besides, you're in even if you don't want to be." She told me.

I glared and mumbled, "Even when I'm missing a shoe I can still flee faster than you can catch me."

She hadn't heard me, and continued to look through the window, watching the upcoming tracks. "I bet that's the train station. Oh I hope there aren't any more of those ghost things there. Not that I was scared or anything." She added quickly.

"Yeah, I always scream in terror when I'm not afraid." JP stated sarcastically.

Zoe tutted before replying in annoyance, "Boys."

I felt the train slow to a stop and let out a sigh as the door opened and my foot was released.

I stood up and tried to move my foot inside my sock to make sure it was still operable. I could barely move it, and when I could, I heard a lot of snapping following it.

"Yeah, it's broken." I stated as I staggered out of the train.

I stood up tall as a few deviant-looking white, round creatures hopped towards me and the others, scaring the others enough to stay in the doorway of the train.

I understood their fear when I heard a few of the white things begin to speak. "Humans! Yes! Someone to play with! Just don't hurt them this time!" These outbursts were followed by a few laughs.

I'd been paying more attention to them than I had to the train, and everyone else inside it. A force in the shape of steam or some kind of current forced everyone out of the train door, and they all toppled onto the ground, leaving me stuck at the bottom.

"Yeah, that first step's a doozy! Heh, heh, heh!" I turned my head—which was kinda hard knowing the fact my neck was being crushed by someone—to see the train talk.

"Is it me, or did the train just talk?" Takuya asked pretty much no one.

"Hey! I'm not just any old train, I'm Trailmon. And I'm alive, just like you. Even though I am more handsome than you scrunched up little bugs, thank you very much." He replied to Takuya's 'question'. "Any who, this here is Flame Terminal. You're in the heart of a Digimon village."

"Digimon village?" Everyone seemed to be repeating everything anyone said today.

"We are pals!" The white things—I assumed that they were some kind of Digimon like Trailmon—told us, one of them getting right up in my face. I found it hard to believe most of what they promised. "Our last friends didn't last very long."

I heard JP say something, but I didn't pay any attention to him.

I looked up to hear crying coming from on top of me.

Tommy was crying again as he tried to speak, "I didn't even want to be on this train!"

"Sorry you feel bad kiddo, but I can't stick around. If you want to go home, you'll have to find a spirit or something!" And with that, he pulled out of the station and back down the track.

"Sheesh, this kid should get a job as a fire alarm." JP muttered to himself.

As Zoe tried to ask Trailmon a few questions about the spirit, I was deep in thought with myself about the same subject.

A spirit? That word struck deep inside me, it was like I knew what it was, or at least something inside me did. Like I knew everything there was to know about it, but at the same time, I knew more about rocket science than I did about the spirit. A single, unfamiliar word kept on coming to my head: Raveamon. I didn't know exactly what it was, but memories from my childhood that I'd tried so hard to forget flooded back into remembrance, and I had a feeling that I should keep them in mind for a while. Just to see if they came in handy or not.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by Zoe and JP's shouting. "Wait, come back here!"

"Yeah, pretty please?"

I heard more sobs as Tommy shouted, "Take me home!" He jumped onto the track and took off running after Trailmon.

"Tommy, stop!" Takuya shouted after him, jumping onto the track himself and running after him.

"Why do I get the feeling that we're gonna be spending all our time rescuing the baby?" JP asked no one in general, but I heard it, and didn't like what I didn't heard.

I jumped up onto my feet, turned on a heel and planted a fist in his face. It knocked him to the ground and left a mark on his cheek. He looked up at me and rubbed his now becoming swollen cheek.

"Don't let me hear you say that again. You'd be upset too if you were young and had just been taken from your parents." I growled before jumping onto the track and running after both Takuya and Tommy.

"Tommy!" Takuya called as Tommy walked out onto the tracks. I looked down. They were suspended over nothingness.

"Go away!" He shouted back, walking farther from the ledge that we were standing on.

"This isn't helping! You're gonna fall!" Takuya shouted; I flinched, he was going to end up jinxing it.

"At least I won't be here anymore!"

"I…I'll take you home!" I shouted to Tommy, talking faster than I could think, but sure of my words from some strange positive-ness. Tommy stopped, and I knew I had his attention. I continued, trying to think of a way to get him to come back, "I'll find a way to take you home! I…I promise!" I hadn't made very many promises in my life, and I didn't know how I was going to keep this one.

He turned halfway around and looked at me. Even from this far away I could still see tears glimmering in his eyes. "Uhh, okay, I'm coming back."

He turned the rest of the way around, only to lose his footing and nearly go tumbling down into the cloud-filled nothingness.

"Don't move," Takuya told him, taking a step onto the rail. "I'm coming to get you."

"No, Takuya. Let me." I said, pushing him back onto the ledge. "You're as coordinated as a piece of paper that's been burned into ashes. You'll fall, and bring Tommy with you."

"What makes you think—" he was prepared to argue, but was cut off by a burst of green flame, and by two other odd creatures running towards us, both screaming their heads off.

"Go help them!" I told him, already starting out onto the railing.

Takuya was tackled to the ground as I jumped onto the rail and began making my way over to Tommy.

I glanced back over my shoulder as a creature—I assumed it was the one that had created the green flame—said, "Emerald Blaze!"

I looked down as I felt the train tracks vibrate, and saw Takuya running towards me, both of those other creatures attached to his neck.

"Go! Hurry!" He shouted at me, running across the tracks towards me. "Get Tommy and run!"

I didn't hesitate to go through with his 'plan'. It was just the running away part I wasn't very fond of.

I turned and ran towards Tommy, grabbing hold of his as I felt the tracks disappear from beneath my feet.

"That mutt is going to eat up the whole village!" The white creature exclaimed. From his voice I could tell that he was some kind of brainiac.

"There go the train tracks!" The yellow one added; I noticed that he was wearing a pair of red pants that went all the way to his feet, completely hiding them.

I felt the rail slip to a slant and grabbed at Takuya, who had his arm wrapped around Tommy. I caught hold of the back of his red shirt, and wrapped my other arm around the rail, along with my legs. But I felt myself sliding down the rail along with them nevertheless.

"Takuya! And…and that one!" JP shouted. I remembered that they still didn't even know my name. Tommy didn't even know it, and I'd promised to protect him, and take him home.

"Oh no!" Zoe added, both of them looking over the edge of what was left of the land, neither one making any effort to help.

I grimaced as my hand started to cramp. I slowly started to let go of the railing, and all of us started to slip even farther down the track until there wasn't any left. I tried to hang on again, but there was no rail left to support their weight, and I ended up letting go.

I heard them cry out, but I hit the ground again long before I could've made a sound. I leapt back onto my feet as Takuya's D-Tector started beeping. It levitated up into the air, and a small ray of light shot out from it, focusing on a large flame only a little ways ahead of us. I thought we were pretty lucky to have not fallen into it.

But it soon exploded into a tower of bright blue light that shot up into the sky.

"What is—" Takuya was going to ask, but the white thing—and surprisingly I—interrupted him.

"It's a spirit. The spirit of flame." We told him in unison.

The white creature looked at me, obviously puzzled because of something.

His stare had forced me into speaking, "…What? Why are you staring?"

"How did you know that that was a spirit?"

"Maybe she guessed." The yellow rabbit-looking guy suggested, only earning a snap of the waistband.

The white guy glared at the rabbit, before returning his attention to me. After a while of staring at me, he said, "You look familiar. Hmm," He pulled a book out of his pink waistband. "Maybe I've seen something of you in here…"

"A spirit? Well, that wasn't so hard. Time to go home!" Takuya said as he stood up. "But, how am I supposed to get it, and what do I do with it when I do?"

I heard a grunt, and a black dog-like creature appeared, "No need to worry about that, for it will soon be destroyed!"

He growled and charged forward, dark green flames emitting from the sides of his partly open mouth.

I felt something pull at my shirt, and turned to see Tommy. His eyes were squeezed shut, and he was holding onto me as if for dear life. And to think I'd promised to protect him; I was doing a pretty crappy job. Just like cheering people up. It all goes downhill after you know their names.

Takuya stepped forward. He picked up a pole, leaving his D-Tector sitting there on the ground, still facing the spirit.

"This sure ranks pretty high on a scale from one to stupid!" He exclaimed as the dog-thing drew closer.

"What was your first clue?" I asked, not wanting to put him or Tommy—even though Takuya had pushed me into a pole—into any danger that I couldn't get us out of somehow.

The creature lunged forward at Takuya, and grabbed hold of the pole between its jaws. I heard the clang as its razor sharp teeth struck the metal. It tossed the pole from Takuya's hands, and attempted to jump over him. But Takuya was persistent, and grabbed hold of the thing's tail, giving it the opportunity to drag him into the blue fire.

I could barely hear anything that Takuya said, but I could assume that he wasn't about to let the mutt get any closer to the spirit. Almost instantly the beast caught fire, and leapt from the flames, hitting the ground and rolling until the flames on its fur had dissipated.

"But what about Takuya?" Tommy asked, looking away from the dog-thing and back into the flames.

I stared into the flames. I could barely see or hear Takuya. I guessed that no one else could either.

Suddenly I could hear him clear as day as he shouted, his D-Tector seeming to come at his call, flying through the air to his hand, "Spirit!"

He was wrapped up in a cocoon of blue strips after the D-Tector had absorbed the small figuring representing the spirit. When the data faded, a much taller figure appeared. His hair hung down to about his waist, and was a faded yellow, and his armor were shades of red.

"What's this?! A human turned into a Digimon?!" The dog questioned in disbelief at the sight of who I assumed was still Takuya.

"What'd he turn into?" Tommy asked, looking in awe at Takuya.

I leaned down and whispered the answer in his ear, not wanting to attract the white dude's attention with another outburst, "That's Agunimon. And see that symbol?" I pointed at the arrangement of lines and curves on his belt. Tommy nodded, and I continued, "That means 'fire' or 'flame'."

"Hmm, let's see…not Santa Claus…Oh! That's Agunimon! Oh my, oh, oh my!" Whitey exclaimed, seeming on the verge of fainting.

"No matter who you are, you're still going to lose!" Houndy over there exclaimed before sending another emerald blaze Takuya's way.

He cart-wheeled to the side, and stopped in front of us. He picked Tommy, Whitey, and the yellow bunny up in his arms, and attempted to add me to that group, but I moved out of his grasp, falling to the ground in the process.

He looked at me, and still not knowing my name, he had to try and rephrase the question, "…What are you doing?!"

I waved a hand back up at the others. "Go, get them up there. I'll be fine. Go!"

He hesitated, a look of bewilderment on his face, but leapt upwards and back onto the ledge.

"Suicidal child!" The black thing called, a growl gave a tinge to every word he spoke. "You've only doomed yourself! You'll lose, just like your friend will!" It lunged at me.

I didn't know what I'd just gotten myself into, but I knew that those memories had something to do with it. They might've been my only chance.

I focused my entire mind on them, wrapped every part of my being around the feeling of dread and depression that passed over me when it had happened. A white light flashed before me as I felt energy surge through my blood stream, filling my every cell with power. I closed my eyes as it moved its way throughout my entire being, the power it made me feel as immense as it was.

I reopened my eyes; though they weren't necessarily mine. Three talons were placed on my feet, which had become black and almost bird-like. My legs had grown longer—making me much taller than normal—and were shielded by thin, light-weight black armor. My torso was adorned with a white imprinted design, a symbol I knew to mean 'moon'.

More thinly cut black armor protected my chest and shoulders. The dark color passed to my finger tips, my gloves also bearing the white design of 'moon'. Long, black hair reached down to my waist, most of my head however was covered by a ridged, almost feather-like helmet, with an almost beak like visor that shadowed part of my face. And on my back, two long, black-feathered wings flexed out from my body.

"Another human turned into a Digimon?! Whatever you are, you're still going to lose! Portals of Darkness!" The black dog Digimon exclaimed as purple rays of light shone out from the dog heads on his shoulders. I looked up to see Takuya coming back down to fight, but on the ground small holes that were filled with blackness began opening up.

As Takuya fell through the air on towards the ground, he tried to steer clear of the holes that kept on appearing, but fell into one of the nevertheless. I saw the dog jump in after him, yelling as he went, "Now let's see how you fare on my turf. Darkness!"

I folded my wings close to my spine as I plunged into one of the holes; it closed as soon as I'd gone through it.

"No one escapes the darkness!" The mutt exclaimed. "Emerald Blaze!"

It opened its mouth and Takuya was engulfed in another green flame. I was tempted to help him out, but on second thought, it might be good for him to learn without me going in and saving his butt.

Takuya slammed his fist up into the dog's jaw, and replied, "How 'bout I defeat you without escaping?" He began a circular rotation and exclaimed, "Pyro Tornado!"

"No! You can't!" It exclaimed as the dark was lit up by the bright flames.

The black creature was enveloped in flames, and the tower pulsed upwards and broke through to the rest of the world.

I smirked, slightly impressed at his first successful attack. Slightly.

I jumped up through the hole that Takuya had made, and observed from the shadows as he took the fractal code from the evil creature, reducing it only to its essence.

Takuya looked up at me panting as I landed on the ground in front of him, still in Digi-evolved form, while he was already back to normal.

"Hm," I looked down at him, considering the fact that that was the only other way I'd be able to see him, being as tall as I was in this form. "Not bad for your first time Takuya."

He panted as he continued to look up at me. "Who…Who are you? And how do you know my name?"

"Hmph." I turned from him, and didn't give him the pleasure of receiving a reply. I batted the black wings back and forth through the air and got up into the air.

As I got higher, and moved faster, I knew I heard him shout after me, "You could at least answer me!"

I decided to let him figure it out when destiny decided it was his time to know.


	3. Chapter 2: Fade Away

Chapter 2: Fade Away 

I watched from above as the fractal code gave life back to parts of the Digimon World.

"Huh?" I saw a few white specks running around on the ground, followed by a red, and a lavender one. The blue and brown-ish ones had stopped, and were already halfway back to the train station. I assumed that they were JP and Tommy, though I had no idea why Tommy would be with JP. I sighed as I swooped down to the ground, landing behind a nearby tree.

I could hear them talking as I changed back to my human form. I moved from behind the tree, and walked up from behind them. When I was close enough, I questioned, "What are you doing? Why aren't you with the others?"

Tommy nearly jumped out of his skin as they both turned to see me.

JP just glared at me and replied with another question. "Why aren't you with the others?"

I just glared back and stated blankly, "It's not safe to wander by yourself, unless you know what you're doing. Otherwise you stay in large groups, look for someone who does know what they're doing, or pray that they find you before something else does. So," I smirked. I also changed the subject because I could see that I was scaring Tommy a bit. "It looks like you're stuck with me trailing behind you, unless you've got someone else to be looking after you."

He growled, but knew he was getting nowhere in this fight. He turned and kept walking, he also continued talking as if I were never there.

"This place sucks. It sucks with teeth. You with me kid?" He directed the question to Tommy, and I considered interrupting, but kept my mouth shut.

"Yeah, well…I guess so, but…but—"

"But, but what?"

Tommy held his D-Tector up above his head and said, a smile spreading across his face, "When Takuya turned into a Digimon he looked killer cool! And then there was that black one with the big angel wings. Bokomon called her Raveamon. They were like superheroes!"

I couldn't help but chuckle a bit at his statement.

"They weren't that great." JP scoffed.

"Well," Tommy continued if JP wanted him to or not. And I would've made JP listen even if he didn't want to. "I've always wanted to be a hero."

JP sighed, and told him, "Kid, take it from me. This hero stuff is way over-rated. I should know—"

"Ha!" I couldn't help but interrupt now. "Take it from you? What could you possibly know about helping someone? Being a hero? Putting your head in the noose so someone else can walk free?"

JP growled and turned back around to face me. "Well, what would you know about helping someone? Being a hero? Putting your head in a moose so someone else can walk free?"

"It's 'noose', not 'moose'." I told him, glaring at him for using my own questions.

JP just shook his head. "Whatever. But do _you _know anything about saving someone? And besides, I haven't seen you spirit evolve or anything."

I clenched my fists to refrain from punching him again.

_"Unclench your fists child! Punch him! Destroy him! Now that you know what your power is, use it to destroy all who oppose you!"_

My arms quivered I had to put so much strength into keeping them at my sides. "No…" The answer was to my thoughts, not necessarily JP's question, but would have to do.

He gave a triumphant nod of his head, grabbed Tommy's arm, and continued back to the train station. "Come on kid; let's go find a way out of this dump."

Tommy looked back at me. I hesitated, but followed them silently, despite the fact that I could, if I tried, be able to fly them back home. But, I would give that reason when they wanted an idea for a way back home.

When we got back around the village, one of the white egg-like creatures was sitting on a heating vent-like thing.

"Yo Tommy, check this little guy out," JP said as we all approached it. "Hey, egg shaped dude with ears, what's shaking?"

It looked down at us, no sign of happiness for us to be bothering it in its orange eyes.

"Listen, your world really isn't our scene. The thing is we don't know how to leave. So, whatdya say, help us out?"

"Buzz off." Was its reply.

But JP had to keep bugging it. He was worse than a flea. "I'll make it worth your while," He chanted as he pulled out a chocolate bar. "Here, how 'bout a bar of premium chocolate?"

"No, no, no! Don't—" I reached out to stop him, but the egg guy moved too fast, and had the chocolate bar in his mouth and had swallowed it before I could stop him.

"Alright egg-face," JP said, leaning over towards the incredibly short menace. "Talk to me and you get the whole bar."

It turned around and told them, "Take Angler the Trailmon at the station, he can take you to back where you came from."

"Wow, for real?" Tommy exclaimed, taking a step closer to the little thing. I put an arm out in front of him, making him stop.

"Don't trust him that much. JP's already made a bad choice by giving him the chocolate. If you weren't here, I would've left in a hurry by now." I whispered to Tommy, trying to make sure that the little white thing didn't hear me.

It glanced at me momentarily, but then looked back at JP, and said, "Now fork it over."

"Thanks bud." JP said as Tommy started running for the station. He followed promptly. But I waited behind for a moment.

I looked down at the white creature, and it stared right back up at me, still chewing away at the chocolate. There was a devious, untrustworthy smile sitting upon his face. I didn't want to turn my back on it, but I couldn't let Tommy and JP get eaten by something bigger than this guy, so I moved away from it and ran after them.

All the while I could feel its evil-looking, orange eyes glued on me.

As I began to catch up with them, I heard a familiar voice and stopped in front of an alley-like passage.

"There goes an accident waiting to happen." I looked down the corridor expecting to see the owner of the voice.

I saw Koji standing at the other side, looking at me with a surprised look on his face. His D-Tector was in his hand, with a small spherical projection appearing from the screen.

"...Uhh, hiya Koji…" I mumbled with a smile and a small wave of my hand. I felt increasingly stupid as I just stood there staring at him.

He smiled slightly and turned his head to look at me. "What are you doing here Toshiku? Get stuck being their babysitter?" He pointed in the direction that Tommy and JP had gone.

"No." I replied, noticing that JP and Tommy were still running far ahead of me towards the train station. "JP's gonna end up getting Tommy eaten by something, so I may as well tag along to keep them in line at least to the point they can learn enough not to get killed," I felt my face losing its normal color and having it replaced by a bright scarlet. "But you shouldn't be wandering around here alone. It's dangerous, if you haven't noticed."

An entire group of the white egg guys hopped rapidly past me as if I wasn't even there. Right after JP and Tommy.

I looked at Koji, then turned from him and took off after the creatures. All the while mumbling to myself, "Not good, not good, not good."

When I caught up to them at the station, the Trailmon that I assumed to be Angler had just shot out of the station, leaving JP and Tommy behind, completely surrounded by the little ghost Digimon guys. One of the things that had taken my missing shoe.

"Wait! You were supposed to—" Tommy broke into a coughing fit.

After the dust cleared, JP finished his sentence. "Take us with you…"

I sighed, and looked over at them. I knew that they were told to come here for a reason, but maybe it was some kind of mistake. Maybe I should take them back home.

"Guys, if you're really sure about going home, I can…" I trailed off as the group of white Digimon piled into little huddle in front of us.

"Hey! Chocolate boy!" One of them shouted. "We want more!" They suddenly went into a hopping-up-and-down frenzy.

"No way!" JP shouted at them. I was starting to keep track of how many big mistakes he was making.

They stopped hopping up and down, and stared at us for a minute before huddling all together and conversing.

I looked down to see all the little guys scooting away while saying in their high little voices, "Uh-ohhh."

I gulped, not exactly liking their reaction. I turned to Tommy and JP. "Guys, we gotta go. Now!"

"Oh please," JP asked me, all the confidence in the world in his voice. If I didn't have to take part in his consequence, I would've laughed when he got what was coming to him. "They're so small. We're much bigger than them. What damage could they possibly do?"

They turned back to face us, and the lead one jumped at us. I could've sworn he was yelling, "Bonsai!" They all dashed—er, hopped towards us, and started biting at our skin and clothes.

Tommy and JP were screaming their heads off, and trying to get away from the Digimon. I was tempted to spirit evolve, but I still didn't feel the real need to. I agreed slightly with JP. They were small. But, they could do a lot of damage given the chance. Getting to some sort of safe haven was the only option I was willing to go with.

"Run!" I told them. I slammed a fist into one of the Digimon and pointed back towards the forests. "That way!"

I moved forward and grabbed Tommy, before turning and running the way I'd pointed, barely waiting for JP to catch up.

We got out of the station and were just across the little bridge-thing that led to the forests when Tommy shouted, "They're gaining on us!"

Like he'd said, the little demons caught up to us, and nipped the backs of our heels, and the rest of us for that matter.

I turned and started running a different way. I may not have known where I was going, but anywhere was better than being inside those Digimon.

I glanced around and noticed that we'd been surrounded by trees. I looked back to see JP complaining to himself about all the running. I let out an annoyed sigh and jumped behind a large mound of tall grass, Tommy still in my grasp, and JP following close behind me.

I set Tommy down on the ground and crouched down in the grass while JP peered out from the hiding spot I'd found.

"C'mon Digivolve! Make me Digivolve now!" I heard Tommy tell his D-Tector. I'd just noticed that he'd pulled it out.

"Keep it down!" JP told him in a hushed tone.

"I am keeping it down!" Tommy replied, still clicking buttons on his D-Tector. "I wanna Digivolve like Takuya and that other Digimon so we can beat them!"

"That's crazy talk!" JP replied, much to my dissatisfaction. Only telling him more things that he didn't even know. "Besides, Digivolving looks kinda painful, ever think about that?"

I glared at JP again, "It's not painful."

"Well, how would you know?!" I couldn't give a reason, and I wouldn't. But I could be sure that it didn't.

"I'm sure that Digivolving probably isn't as painful as being eaten by those crazy Digimon." Tommy told JP, making me smile slightly.

Tommy turned around, and a frightened look shot across his face. He pointed back at the grass, all the while stuttering out words that I couldn't translate into making sense.

I stood up quickly as JP and Tommy began screaming again. We'd all just started running—I noticed JP was on all-fours for a good part of it—when JP broke through the ground, dragging me and Tommy into the hole after him.

I looked up to see all of the white dudes staring down the hole and watching as we fell deeper and deeper into the darkness. I looked back down as I collided with a pile of straw. I groaned as I pulled my head up out of it. I'd nearly fallen flat on the concrete.

"Well, that was close." I said as I stood up. I glanced at JP and Tommy, who were just starting to stand up. "You guys okay?"

"Yeah," Tommy said, standing up.

I looked down one of the corridors. There were all kinds of heating systems and pipes running all around the ground and walls.

"C'mon," JP said, he and Tommy already walking further into the underground. "Let's get going before we're eaten."

I followed them into the blackness, wondering where Koji might have ended up. I came back to myself as JP picked up some dried leaves and dropped them again. They flowed out in front of us, heading for the corridor before us.

"The wind is blowing that way," He stated. "So, if we keep walking this way, we should find a way out."

"I beg to differ." I said, seeing no logic in his statement. "If the wind is blowing that way, then we should go the opposite direction than the wind is blowing."

JP scowled at me and replied, "That makes absolutely no sense."

"Are you sure? So there's no possible way that we could be walking around in circles?" Tommy asked JP, a hidden clue to his voice.

"What gave you that idea?" JP asked him, confusion that was always in his head had found its way to his tone.

"This cross, here," Tommy replied as he walked over to one of the heaters and pointed at a white cross.

"So what?"

"Well, I drew it when we started out."

I looked at Tommy blankly, marveling at the fact that he'd thought of that, while JP didn't hesitate to start panicking.

"I knew it," Tommy continued, starting to panic himself. "That means we're lost, we'll be stuck down here for days."

"That's if we're lucky, it could be months." I glared at JP as he added that.

I flinched as Tommy burst into tears again, this time I hadn't been prepared for it.

"Aw, not again." JP complained. "Here, this'll make you feel better." He pulled out a chocolate bar and handed some to Tommy.

Tommy stopped, and took the chocolate from him.

"Look on the bright side," JP said. "At least we won't starve."

Tommy nodded in agreement, while I continued to just stand there and listen to the conversation.

"…Huh?" I looked up as the flutter of what sounded like bat wings reached my ears. No, it was worse.

I stepped back as one of the white guys landed in front of us, bounced once and stated, quite merrily if you ask me, "We're back!" When that one fell, they _all_ fell. Almost as soon as they'd fallen, they were nipping and biting at us again.

"Here!" JP shouted as he pulled out three chocolate bars and threw them. "Just take them!"

While the Digimon were occupied with the other chocolate bars, we took off running again. But I could hear there squabbling and the sound of them hopping even as we kept running.

I finally started to lose myself and begin panicking when I heard the white Digimon shout, "Eat the humans!"

"Please tell me I'm not the only one that heard that!" I shouted to Tommy and JP, who were both screaming for help and complaining that they weren't chocolate bars.

We ran into a large, almost sphere-like room as they finally caught up to us. One slammed its jaws down into my shoulder blade. I let out a yell at I felt another clamp onto my calf. I slammed a fist into one of them, but it only helped in tearing my skin. Another grabbed onto that fist as I heard the leader shout, "Eat the Digi-human! Take her down!"

I felt at least three more bite my legs and back as I yelled out again, and tried to spirit evolve. But I just couldn't seem to circle my thoughts and concentrate when there were so many things biting and distracting me.

I fell to my knees and tried to slam one of them off of my hand.

"Hold still!"

I hit the ground and turned my head to watch Koji whack one of the Digimon off of my back with a metal pole. I struggled to my feet as Tommy ran up to me. "Are you okay?"

"I'm…fine." I replied, absorbed in the way that Koji had saved me.

I watched as he rammed the pole into the cloud of Digimon, hitting a few of them at a time. He dashed into the cloud of them swinging at the like anyone would a baseball bat. Except with a big metal pole that seemed to bend when he swung it. He locked it between his elbows as the creatures crowded around him. Suddenly the very tip of the pole pushed out of the group, ramming the leader upwards. Then he swung around in a circle or two, pivoting on his left foot. All of the Digimon flew out from him, and hit the walls.

He smiled as the leader Digimon fell facedown from the sky in front of him.

"Don't smile yet human!" It shouted as him as it was cocooned in blue strings of data.

We all stared at the used to be kinda cute white creature as it digivolved into a big, purple slime covered, rotten flesh smelling Digimon.

It turned to me and said, "I'll eat you up!"

"Why me? JP's the one who has all the chocolate." I mumbled to myself as it made a slow move towards me. I focused all of my energy inside my memories, and felt the adrenaline rush as power surged through me like before.

Soon I myself was wrapped in blue data, and in my Digimon form. "But I'd like to see you try!" I shouted as I flexed the black wings out behind me.

It gasped, which only sounded like a gurgling sound. "Raveamon…I'll be famous when you're destroyed! But I'll start with your savior!" He turned to Koji. "Acid Sludge!"

"Koji!" I shouted out his name as I pulsed through the air towards him. He grunted as I picked him up and took off out of the attack's reach. "Sorry," I told him as I pushed him onto my back between my wings. "Didn't exactly want you to be vaporized."

"It's not like it's part of my master plan to be vaporized or anything." Koji replied as he wrapped his arms around my neck so he wouldn't go tumbling onto the ground.

"Gaahh!" It complained to itself as it turned to JP and Tommy. "Acid Sludge!"

JP was able to get out of the way, but Tommy stumbled, and didn't keep moving.

"Tommy!" I dove down and picked him up, swooping right back up into the air, the sludge barely touching my wing, but it still burned.

"Eww! It smells!" I heard the annoying voice of Zoe exclaim.

I let out an exasperated sigh, which I could tell Koji heard.

"You know them?" He asked, putting a strain on my neck as he looked back at them.

"I know them. Sort of. But they don't know me." I replied, remembering that they didn't even know my name.

"It's Raveamon again!" The white guy—who I assumed to be Bokomon—exclaimed.

"Raveamon…" Tommy wondered aloud as he looked back at me. His face lit up as he looked into my sunset red eyes. "It is you! Wow, it's incredible to see you this close up! And for you to have saved me…that's just…wow!"

I looked down at him, distracted for a moment.

"Acid Sludge!"

I looked hurriedly back to see green ooze come soaring at me. It crashed into one of my wings, and I let out a yell as I plummeted back down to the ground. I landed on my feet, but I knew my wings wouldn't work like they should now, so I just kept my eyes on the moving pile of crap and kept taking step after step back away from it.

"Koji," I asked, remembering that he was on my back, near my wings, which had been hit by the attack and burned. "Are you okay?"

I kept moving back as he answered, "Yeah, I'm alright Toshiku."

"Who's Toshiku?" Tommy asked, looking back at Koji.

"You're right, they don't know you." Koji commented.

"I'm Toshiku. I'm the one who turned into Raveamon, the one who just helped ya out over there." I told Tommy, gesturing over to where the rotting Digimon had sent one of its attacks.

I looked back at the death-purple Digimon as it asked me, "Going somewhere?"

I kept moving back, and nearly tumbled into a hole, and almost losing Koji to the darkness inside it. I stood on the edge of the hole, trying to think of what else I could possibly do to keep Koji and Tommy safe from it when I heard Takuya shout, "Spirit!"

As soon as he was in Digimon form, he dashed forward, propelled by small flames as he went. He rammed into the thing, making it spew the acidic goop in all directions, one heading in my direction.

He made a move to protect me, but I interrupted with a defense of my own.

"Guardian's Shield!" I shouted as I moved one of my wings in front of me. It hardened into a steel-like metal, and reflected the attack. I gave it a quick flap and it went back to its original, feathery form.

"Now's your chance!" Takuya shouted to me. "Run!"

Light filled the room as Takuya returned to his human form.

"What going on? I turned back into me!" Takuya stated blankly.

"Still here!" The Digimon shouted as it let loose another acid sludge attack.

"Watch out!" Takuya shouted, pushing me to the side, even thought I could've deflected the attack with one of my own.

My sudden movements made Koji lose his grip around my neck and he tumbled off me and into the hole behind me.

"Oh no!" Takuya yelled, looking down into the hole after Koji.

"Koji!" I cried out his name.

I was about to go down after him, but light suddenly filled the entire area, and a white and blue Digimon rose up out of the hole Koji had fallen into.

"Man, did I look that cool?" Takuya asked as he stared up at the new Digimon—who I presumed was actually Koji.

Tommy nodded. "Yeah, but different."

"I've never seen anything more beautiful in my whole life…" Zoe said.

"Me neither!" JP added.

"You can say that again." Takuya said, all of them seeming very happy.

He touched he ground almost as lightly as a feather.

Ignoring the façade of compliments and astounded statements, the purple sewer Digimon shouted, "Acid Sludge!"

Koji charged forward. "Lobo-kendo!" He pulled a slender glow stick-looking thing out from a pocket attached to his belt.

"What's he gonna do with the glowy stick?" The yellow rabbit Digimon asked, rather randomly in my opinion. I heard a snap and a wail following the question.

At once a blue ray of light emerged from one of the ends. Koji swung it in front of him, slashing at the bombs of acidic, lime-colored crap that kept flying in his direction.

He destroyed the last of the attack, then jumped up, and before the reeking, disarrayed plum could react, thrusted the light-sword into its head. More purple liquid squirted out of its wound; I assumed it to resemble some kind of blood.

"Oh," The yellow rabbit said as Koji used his D-Tector to retrieve the fractal code from the Digimon. "So that's what he's gonna do."

Zoe said something in foreign as Koji became human again.

When Koji didn't stand up from the ground, Takuya acted. "Huh?" He and Tommy ran up to him as he continued. "Are you okay? Here, let me help you up."

"Koji…" I transformed to my normal form and walked up to them.

"Don't touch me," Koji snapped at Takuya. He got up onto his feet as he continued. "I don't need your help, or anyone else's!" He looked over at me and said, in a slightly softer tone, "But I guess I should thank you for saving me. I always repay my debts, and I won't forget that I owe you."

I noticeably blushed as I answered, "You know…I didn't save you so that you'd owe me…"

He looked back at Takuya. "My name's Koji Minamoto. And you are?"

At first Takuya didn't reply. I wondered if he'd even heard him, or understood any English.

"So are you gonna tell me?" Koji asked, sounding impatient with Takuya's stupidity.

Finally Takuya answered, "I'm Takuya Kanbara."

"Takuya huh?" Koji turned, and said with a wave of his hand. "See ya."

JP walked up to Takuya and Tommy and commented, "What's his deal?"

"Your idiocy and Takuya's stupidity. They're everybody's deal." I snapped at him, making him glare at me.

"You're so dense." He complained with a roll of his eyes.

"I can fix that. All it takes is one snap of one of your bones, and you won't be bothered by it anymore." I threatened, taking a step closer to him.

"Come on guys, let's get out of here. It smells like dead fish!" Zoe said, grabbing JP and dragging him away from me, then looking at me as if she expected me to follow too.

_"No, don't just let them leave. Go through with your threat! Make them regret what they've said! What they've thought!"_

I simply turned from her and jumped onto the remains of the pole that Koji had broken his off of, and into the chamber that led to it. But before I got far, Zoe interrupted my escape.

She shouted after me, "Hey, who are you anyway?"

I sighed in annoyance, and knew that I wouldn't be able to keep from them forever. I didn't face them, but reluctantly mumbled, my words echoing throughout the whole system, "Toshiku Yumari."

I continued towards the tunnel even as she tried to ask me another few questions.

I walked around for a little while, before seeing light ahead, and a flight of stone steps leading up to a door.

I hit ground level, and immediately saw Koji leaning up against a tree a few yards away from me.

He looked over at me. I blushed like an idiot when a knowing smile flashed across his face. It faded as quickly as it had come when I approached him and leaned against the tree near him.

I gulped and looked at my…shoe as I told him, "You know, for your first time spirit-evolving, you weren't half bad."

"Hm," he replied, looking up at the clear blue sky. "I'll suppose that was a compliment, minding the fact you had to save me a few times."

I shrugged. "A good fighter's a good fighter. That's all there is to it."

"Hmph." He smiled slightly. He smirked up at me as he asked, "By the way, lose something did ya?" He held my shoe out to me.

I blushed as I took it from him. "Uhh, how'd you get it? And why did you keep it all this time?"

"One of those Poyomon guys had it on his head like a hat, and ran into the train I was on. I remembered how your shoe looked, mostly because I got a good view of them when you crashed into me back at the station. So, I supposed I may as well give it back to you." Koji told me the 'story' as if this all seemed normal to him.

"Uhh, well…thanks." I pulled my shoe back on over my foot.

Koji stood up. "I'll see ya 'round Toshiku." He started walking away.

"Uh, yeah. See ya…some…other…time." I struggled to find the right words to say. I gulped as I stared after him, leaning on the tree for fear of falling over and making a scene.

A dizzy, happy feeling passed over me. It was so new, and unexpected, I didn't know how to react to it.

I shook my head, and pushed off from the tree. I started walking as I figured that I'd have to get used to the new feeling, and if I did, it might just fade away.


	4. Chapter 3: How Your Remind Me

Chapter 3: How You Remind Me 

"The wind here smells pretty sweet…" I mumbled to myself as I rushed through the high sky air.

All of a sudden I heard beeping, and an electric shock rippled through me. I let out a yell and tumbled out of the air, slamming into the ground. As soon as I was out of Digimon form, I pulled out my D-Tector.

"Attention, go to the Forest Terminal immediately."

"…That's why you knocked me out of the frickin' sky? How am I supposed to find this place…?" I looked on down the tracks. I saw a few outlines of what I assumed were Digimon, but then I heard Zoe's high pitched voice, and figured it was worse. I sighed when I saw her and Takuya waving at me, and realized they were talking to me.

I tried to ignore them, and kept walking along the tracks. But, my plan kinda went down the drain after I noticed that they were just standing there, waiting for me to 'catch up'. I growled and glowered at them, but they didn't notice, and just kept on calling out to me and trying to wave me over.

When I saw that there really wasn't any way to avoid them, I kept walking until I got to them.

They just stood there smiling and staring at me for a good part of the day. I looked back and forth at them both before asking, "What the heck are you staring at me for?"

Takuya just kept smiling and said, "Hiya buuudddyyy!"

I shook my head and pushed past them.

"What's her problem?" Zoe questioned Takuya.

"I don't know. Maybe she just needs a hug…Hey Toshiku! Come here for a minute!" Takuya ran up to me, and before I could react, wrapped me up in a bear hug.

I growled. "Takuya! I don't want you to hug me!"

"I beg to differ!" Takuya chimed. "See how happy you're getting already?"

"If my right arm wasn't so numb and I could actually feel the ground, I would punch you." I mumbled, scowling at him.

Takuya smiled and said, still not letting go, "You're funny, you wouldn't do that."

"Wanna bet?"

He set me back down on the ground and said, "Okay. See? You're happy!"

I started walking away from him as I replied, "Whatever floats your boat and keeps you from hugging me."

"You want another one?"

"NO!"

"Sheesh, touchy."

"Hey guys, look down there." JP said, pointing down over the edge of a cliff.

I glanced at the train tracks. They stopped at the edge of the cliff, but they continued on the other side. The bridge piece connecting them was missing.

"Looks like there's a village down there." Takuya added.

"And that trail looks like it could lead down to it." JP pointed on the other side of the canyon over at it.

"…Am I the only one that sees that it's over there? Not over here where we can get to it?" I asked, crossing my arms out in front of me. "And am I the only one who's really warm?"

"I think it's cold." Zoe answered, all of them already on their way down the side of the wall of rock.

"Hmph." I didn't feel any form of cold around me. "This just keeps getting weirder…" I moved forward and followed them down to the bottom.

We got to the bottom, but saw none of the lights JP had pointed out. I moved across the small river cutting the canyon into two, Takuya and Tommy right after me.

I felt a tugging on my shirt as Tommy came up to me and mumbled, "Uhh, Toshiku…?" He pointed over to the wall.

I looked over at it, expecting it to be next to nothing, but what I saw unnerved me more than I'd thought possible. Lucemon.

"What is that?" Takuya asked, staring up at the carved symbols next to Lucemon.

"Kind of pretty…" Zoe commented.

"Pretty?" Bokomon scoffed. "Pretty she says. These are the marks of the legendary warriors."

"Legendary warriors?" Everyone repeated.

"Hm, I've never heard of them." Neemon, the yellow guy, told Bokomon.

"What? Of course you've heard of them. They were the first things we learned about in Digital World History."

At first everything was silent. Then Neemon answered, "I must've been sick that day, but they sure are pretty!"

Bokomon groaned because of the stupidity of his yellow companion, and then began to speak. "In ancient times, there were terrible wars between humanoid Digimon and beast Digimon for control of the Digital world. One day, an angel Digimon called Lucemon appeared. He taught them how to resolve their differences and live in peace. And the fighting stopped.

"Lucemon was a wise, kind ruler, but the peace in the Digital world was short lived. Lucemon, obsessed with his power, began to torment the peace-loving Digimon until they could take no more.

"It was then that the brave warriors rose up against him, and after a fierce battle defeated Lucemon, restoring the peace. The legend says that the spirits of these Digimon will one day rise again in times of trouble."

"Read it to me again." Neemon told Bokomon. I wasn't sure if he'd just zoned out the first time, or if he just wanted to hear it again to annoy Bokomon.

"Um, no." Bokomon told him, returning the book to the pink band around his waist.

"I know that symbol." Tommy said, pointing to one at the top.

"That was the same symbol we saw when Takuya turned into Agunimon." Zoe finished for him.

"And that mark next to it is the one that was one Koji's shoulder when he turning into Lobomon." Tommy said. Then he turned and pointed to another one. "And then that one is the mark that Toshiku had when she was Raveamon."

"I wonder if I'll be next. Oh, I hope my Digimon's cute." Zoe chimed, making me want to gag.

"I wanna be like the biggest, scariest Digimon ever!" Tommy exclaimed, following Zoe's lead.

"Unlikely shorty." JP mumbled to him. "I mean it's not like we'll all get to be Digimon."

"Hm, there are five of us, six including Koji. If all of us have one, then that leaves three others. Now, tell me how some of us wouldn't be able to spirit-evolve." I scowled at JP for making the statement that he had, and I hoped the question stumped him.

He glared over at me. "You wouldn't understand if I explained. You're just too stupid."

I flared and popped him one in the face. "I'll show you stupid!"

_"Yes! Show them all what power you have! Let them behold your strength!"_

"No, Toshiku." I felt Zoe's hand on my shoulder. If she was trying to refrain me, she would have to do more than just prod my shoulder. "Don't hurt him."

"Fine." I growled at Zoe before turning to walk away from them. But I stopped short and looked back at JP. "You remind me of Lucemon."

"How would you know?!" JP shouted after me.

"Uh, guys? We've got company." Takuya said, turning around as the lights reappeared.

"Ooo! Company! Are we having a party Bokomon?" Neemon asked, suddenly very happy.

I heard Bokomon snap Neemon's waist band again as I turned to see the company Takuya had been talking about. A bunch of walking—actually hopping and floating—and talking candle Digimon moved over to us.

One—presumably the leader—that had a mustache addressed us, "Why have you humans come to our village? You are not welcome here!"

"We're on our way to the Forest Terminal." Takuya told them. "Sorry to disturb you."

"Takuya, you disturb everyone. And most times it's not even on purpose." I mumbled to him, not taking my eyes off of the closest candle thingy.

"You're not helping!"

"Ooo, you're melting my heart." The leader told us sarcastically.

"Oh, that's a no-no!" The rest of the group chimed in.

"You mean to steal an artifact from us, don't you? Well you won't get away with it!" The leader assumed quickly that Takuya had been lying.

"He's right, the humans must be punished." The candle on the leader's right added.

"Boss," the candle on the left asked. "You want us to wax 'em for ya?"

"Wait!" Bokomon stepped in. "Stop, I can explain. These humans have come to help us save the Digital world, not steal some artifact."

"But we didn't know that at first." Takuya said, looking down at Bokomon.

"Shut up Takuya." I mumbled out of the corner of my mouth.

"This may be hard to believe, but somehow this boy was infused with the spirit of one of the legendary warriors. Agunimon. And this girl here," he gestured over to me. "The spirit of Raveamon."

"Did you say Agunimon? Raveamon? Impossible!" The leader scoffed.

"That's a hot one." One of the minions on a ledge commented.

But another wasn't so sure what to think. "What if it really is them?"

A candle-dude that was closer to us said confidently, "He's just pulling our wicks!"

I glanced around as more and more outbursts came from the Digimon, each of them having their own opinions. I heard one just rambling on and on about potatoes.

"This is interesting." The lead candle mumbled. He and the two at his sides made a quick huddle, and then turned back to us. "Please excuse our rude behavior my dear young friends." He laughed cheerfully as he floated over the river to us. "We are the Candlemon tribe. It is our sacred duty to protect the ancient artifact. So, which of you inherited the spirit of the legendary warriors?"

"These two," Bokomon gestured to Takuya and I. "Takuya and Toshiku."

The leader of the Candlemon looked from me, and then to Takuya, who was shaking in his shoes. I made a move forward, and put an arm out in front of Takuya.

The Candlemon looked at me funny, and then asked in a seemingly surprised tone, "Do you not trust me?"

"It's not that," I lied. "I just don't want clumsy over here to fall into the river and get a cold."

He looked back at Takuya, apparently believing me. "Well, you have a brave face young man. On behalf of all the Candlemon tribe, I bid you all welcome. Please," he said as floated, and then began hopping in another direction, expecting us to follow. "Be our guests."

As everyone walked after the Candle-mustache, Takuya stopped me and said, "I wasn't going to fall into the river. How dumb do you think I am?"

"Quite, but I knew that you wouldn't." I answered, looking at him rather blankly.

"Huh?" He seemed confused as he asked, "Then why did you move in front of me?"

I shrugged. "You looked scared. I wanted you to know I was there."

"What?! I was so not scared!"

I smirked, and replied coolly, "Of course you weren't Takuya. Of course you weren't."

He growled and walked away from me after the others. But he stopped short and looked back at me.

"You're…you're coming…right? I mean, you aren't just going to leave us, are you?"

I smirked and walked past him. "And you said you weren't scared."

"I'm not!"

"Come now," The Candlemon interrupted. "Let's not dawdle."

We followed him until we came to a large stone pillar with flames at the tip, and around the base. As we got closer, I saw that all of the symbols had been carved into the pillar. All of the Candlemon were hopping around it in perfect synchronization, and all of them were holding one—some two—green clover-like plants.

"Looks like a giant birthday party." Takuya noted.

"Let's all sing!" Neemon exclaimed, but before he could start it all off, Bokomon yelled at him about being a nincompoop, and I heard him snap his waistband again.

"It's for you my friends! A welcome ceremony, enjoy!" Candlemon told us, beckoning for us to come closer to the fire. "Come closer, feel the warmth of the flames."

"Guys, maybe this isn't a good idea. We should be finding a way to the Forest Terminal." I told them, not liking how kind they were trying to be after having threatened to burn us into human raisins.

But before we could try to leave, the other Candlemon threw the clovers into the flames, and a light bottle green smoke filled the air.

I took one breath of it in, and everything just started fading in and out in a drowsy haze.

"I…I told you guys we had to…leave…"

"So you've obtained the spirits of Agunimon and Raveamon have you? We'll soon shed some light on this!" The lead Candlemon shouted at us as we faded into the clover-induced sleep.

"The river…" I looked at Takuya as soon as the words came out of his mouth.

"Let's turn up the heat on these artifact filchers! Get them Candlemon!" Candle-mustache shouted to his candle minions.

I jumped up onto my feet and ran after everyone as they leapt into the river.

"Lava Loogie!" I dove into the river as two of the Candlemon spit lava-snot at us.

I nearly face palmed as I noticed that I hadn't taken a breath before leaping in. But this was one of the least of my problems. I looked on down towards the others, and saw that Tommy was lagging far behind.

I pushed off from the bank towards him when a few air bubbles floated to the surface. When I got to him, I wrapped an arm around him and swam back up to the surface of the water with the others.

I pulled Tommy up out of the water as far as I could get him without making him target practice for the Candlemon that were still running—hopping—after us along the bank.

"Oh, did I disturb you're beauty sleep?" Takuya asked JP, a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

"We should be safe here. I'll bet that fire Digimon like Candlemon can't get near the water." Zoe said.

"Don't underestimate anything in this place!" I told her, not wanting them to get lost, befriend some hungry Digimon, and end up getting eaten. Although, it would've been nice not having her around to nag in my ear all day long.

"Guess again human! Lava Loogie!" The two Candlemon shot more lava at us as we ducked back into the safety of the water.

I looked ahead to where we were swimming to, and saw a separation between a few rocks. It was well hidden, I guess. I let the air out of my lungs in a sigh, although I realized as my lungs started to burn that it had been a bad idea.

I pushed Tommy over to Takuya through the water and swam back to the Candlemon. I felt water rush past my head as one of them tried to grab me, but I slipped out of their reach and kept going.

As soon as I was just a few yards from the bank, I spirit-evolved with difficulty and soared up onto the bank in front of a few Candlemon. I gave a quick flap of my wings, and the water fell from them like a hurricane.

They stared at me as I folded my wings back behind me.

I smirked as I asked them, "What? You look like you've seen a ghost."

They growled, non-too fond of the comment. "Lava Loogie!" They shouted at me, firing more lava-snot at me.

I merely flicked their attacks away with a wave of my wing.

"Can't catch me! I'm the gingerbread man!"

"Uh, what?" I turned around to see Takuya running away from a couple of Candlemon. They fired an attack at him, and I heard a really high-pitched squeak-giggle-thing.

I sighed and took off after them.

They fired another Lava Loogie at him, and knocked him forward.

"Oh no!" I heard the clattering of his D-Tector as it flew out a ways in front of him. "My D-Tector!"

Takuya looked back as I slammed the Candlemon coming after him into the rock wall.

He jumped forward and grabbed his D-Tector.

"Spirit-evolution time!" He shouted before being consumed in data. When he reappeared, he was the smarter of the two.

"Lava Loogie!" More lava came hurtling towards him, but he merely whacked it out of his face.

Flames shrouded his arms as he shouted, "I summon the Pyro Tornado!" He thrusted his arms out in a punch-like motion, the flames rolling off him and into the faces of the Candlemon.

They lurched backwards, but then began to laugh. The flames on their heads had grown larger, and they didn't seem to be hurt at all.

"Takuya! Fire attacks aren't going to work on Digimon like Candlemon you moron!" I shouted at him.

"Like I'm supposed to know that!" He retorted with a snarl.

I would've started another argument with him, but I was stopped by the Candlemon blowing streams of fire at us.

They stopped, and continued while we recovered with a different attack. "Paraffin Paralyzer!" They spun round in circles, white wax flying off of them.

I tried to fling it away like the lava-sneeze-goo, but it stuck to me and burned my wings. I tried to pry it off of me, but it was sticky, and was already starting to harden.

"I…I can't move anything!" I heard the wax squeaking and sizzling as Takuya tried to free himself.

"Hang on you guys! I'm coming!" I shifted my gaze and saw Tommy come running down the side of one of the less steep ledges and into the river. He took off his hat, filled it with water, and threw the water at the Candlemon. "Lights out! Ya meanies!"

They recoiled from the water, but didn't run away completely. Tommy continued to throw the water at them as he said, "I won't be just a little kid in the way ever again!"

I heard the sound of ice shattering and saw a small white figurine glide over and settle above the water, turning the whole river to ice.

Tommy pulled out his D-Tector, and the spirit glided into it with a small burst of light. He was at once surrounded by data. When it all left, he had become a short, white teddy bear with green armor.

He skidded across the ice towards us. "Time to teach you bullies a lesson. Crystal Freeze!"

He took in a deep breath, and then blew a cold wind out at one of the Candlemon, freezing him completely in place.

"Hey there teddy bear," the other Candlemon said. "You want a play mate? Ha-cha!" It spun around, encasing itself in a tower of fire. It floated up, and was surrounded by data. When it came back into focus, it was a wizard thing.

"Crystal Freeze!" Tommy shouted again as cold air shot over to the Wizardmon.

But it jumped out of the way, and slammed his foot into his face. "Take off Teddy."

I clenched my fists, and batted my wings. The wax fell from them after some trouble, and I dashed forward at Wizardmon. I reached out towards him, my fingers curved, talons outstretched.

"How 'bout a little Magical Game? Ta-ta-a!" And with that, the Wizardmon vanished into thin air, my hand slamming into the wall that had been behind him.

I looked around me. I could hear his footsteps, and the sound of his mocking laughter.

"Up here!" He shouted from above our heads. "I know, let's play catch!" He shot small bursts of lightning down at us. But to me he had pretty poor aim, and we avoided all of them.

He landed back on the ground and reappeared. "Not bad. Legendary warriors. But I've got plenty up my sleeve." In one swift motion, dozens of Wizardmon had me and Takuya surrounded. "Too bad you're going to lose, no matter which Wizardmon you choose."

I looked from one to another as it continued to rhyme, "Agunimon, Raveamon, can't you see? All these Wizardmon are me! We all look real because we are. Just try to run, you won't get far!"

"One's gotta be different," I told Takuya, facing one of the Wizardmon. "Look for anything that sets it apart from the others!"

"Every hero must fall. You're time is up, Electro Squall!" In one synchronized motion, all of the Wizardmon raised their wands up to us, and lightning pushed through the air from them.

I jumped up, Takuya right into the air after me.

I looked down as Tommy called out to us, "Only one of them has a shadow!"

"Thanks." Takuya replied. He lunged forward and slammed a knee into the real Wizardmon. "Game over!"

He let out a yell as he fell backwards. His image darkened as a single ring of data rotated around him.

"I never did believe in magic." Takuya said as he retrieved the fractal code.

"Ha," I smirked. "That's hard to believe."

"Yay!" Zoe shouted, following with something in foreign again.

"Yeah! _Multo_—what she said!" JP yelled, sounding pretty darn stupid.

I extended a hand to Tommy.

"Thanks Toshiku." He said as he took it and I pulled him up onto his feet.

"No, thank you. You're one brave little bear." Takuya said with a smile.

"Well," one of the Candlemon that hadn't attacked us said. "I guess this proves that they are the legendary warriors after all!"

"Yes." The leader continued from there. "I would not have believed it if I hadn't seen it for myself."

Data wrapped around all of us as we returned to normal.

"You have indeed proven yourselves worthy of carrying the spirits of the legendary warriors my young friends. Takuya, Toshiku, and little Tommy. You three have really honored the great names of Agunimon, Kumamon, and Raveamon. I salute you all."

The Candlemon erupted into cheers as the three lead Candlemon approached us. Zoe, JP, Bokomon, and Neemon were by us again, having come out of 'hiding'.

"I'm afraid I owe you all an apology." Candle-mustache told us. "The truth is we thought you might possess the spirits of the legendary warriors, but we still had to make sure. I'm sorry we didn't trust you."

"I didn't exactly trust you either." I told them.

"So," Tommy said, looking slightly confused at the Candlemon before us. "This was all just a test?"

"Well that pretty much stinks!" Takuya exclaimed with slight anger. "You're lucky I don't pinch your lights out for that!"

But the Candlemon simply laughed and apologized again. "I'm so sorry; you have every right to be angry,"

"Fractal code, rendered."

Right after the voice from Takuya's D-Tector spoke, a long strip of data flowed out from it, and curled around where the bridge used to be, making it reappear.

"Wizardmon had the code!" Bokomon exclaimed in surprise.

"Wizardmon held within him the fractal code for the bridge, which protected out town from evil Digimon," He looked over at Takuya. "Young Takuya, for many years no one has crossed this bridge, but you have my official permission to use this bridge. Follow the tracks and they will lead you to the Forest Terminal, but it is a perilous journey."

"Uhhh, maybe we should think about this guys; I mean, it's still not too late to go home.

Zoe giggled as she said, "You're just jealous because Tommy found his inner Digimon and you haven't yet."

"Why would I even care about that? Shorty can have it." He told her. He looked away and kept talking, "It's just that being here is like working—"

"Ha, and we all know how you feel about that!" Takuya exclaimed, beaming as everyone started to laugh.

"Yeah, very funny." JP stated sarcastically.

"Heh, you're one mean little salamander Takuya." I said, smiling slyly.

As everyone started to laugh again, I looked up to see a Trailmon cross over the bridge. I wondered what would've happened if the bridge hadn't been there when it crossed over.

"Hey," Takuya took the opportunity to state the obvious. "Somebody else just beat us across the bridge."

"Hmmm…" As I stared up at the bridge, I started to think about who could be on it.

And if Koji was going to the Forest Terminal too.


	5. Chapter 4: Sugar Rush

Chapter 4: Sugar Rush 

"So…are we there yet?" JP asked impatiently.

"Hmm, let's see…what's wrong with this picture? Desert-looking wasteland. Forest Terminal. I'd say no." Takuya answered, sounding pretty impatient himself, minding the fact that JP had been asking that for the past fifteen minutes.

"Okay, if Takuya knew that, and he has a brain the size of a grain of sand, how did _you _not know that?" I asked JP, the annoyance of everyone's impatience in my tone.

"I'm tired, let's take a rest…" Tommy mumbled, exhaustion in his voice.

I looked at him for a moment, before spirit-evolving and picking him up onto my shoulders. "We've gotta keep going."

After a while of silence, Takuya burst into conversation again. "You know JP, if you hadn't fed chocolate to that Trailmon; we'd be riding in air-conditioned comfort right about now."

"So he made a mistake. What're you gonna do? Take away his bowling shoes?" Zoe asked sarcastically, not even turning around to face him.

"I wouldn't do that," I warned with a smirk. "The stench might kill us."

"Hey! It's a Trailmon!" I turned to see Takuya jumping up and down on the tracks like a cheerleader.

"Takuya," I told him. "You're kinda freaking me out. Knock it off."

"Ugh, finally!" Zoe exclaimed. I guess she'd wanted one to come sooner than it had.

I set Tommy down on the ground as Takuya tried to reason with it.

"Hey Trailmon, what's up? Can you take us to the Forest Terminal?"

"Oh, I'm afraid I over-ate at my last stop, and besides, I'm a freight train. No riders, no acceptations." The pink mole-thing replied.

"Trailmon," Now it was Zoe's turn to beg. "I am as light as bubble wrap." She jumped up onto it, followed by everyone but me.

"Yeah, just think of us all as cargo." Takuya added.

After only a few second of them clinging to it, the Trailmon started to laugh and shook them off. I wasn't sure what it has said, but what I did hear was something about him being too ticklish and that if we kept following the tracks we would get where we wanted to go.

I went back to human form and watched the pink thing leave.

"So much for getting there soon." Takuya said. I looked at him and saw that he'd landed on his head.

Zoe jumped onto her feet and shouted after it, "Come back here! Trailmon!"

I gave Takuya a bit a kick, and said, "We've gotta keep going. We don't have all day for you to just sit there on your head. No matter how comfortable it may be."

"It's not comfortable," Takuya replied as he and everyone else got up. "I just never decided to get up."

I was about to start walking ahead of them, but a tug on the back of my shirt made me stop. I looked back and saw Bokomon. He had the book in his other hand.

"Hold on a minute Toshiku. There's something we need to talk about."

Bokomon made me wait until everyone was a few yards away.

"Now then…" Bokomon opened the book and began to flip through the pages. "Let's see what we can find…" He began to hum as he flipped through the pages of the book, apparently looking for something distinct.

"What about that?" Neemon said, stopping Bokomon at one of the pages.

"You—wait, that is the right page…" Bokomon looked back at me and started to speak. "My dear girl, how did you obtain your human spirit? Hmm? I've seen you evolve, but—"

"But we didn't see the pretty light when you turned into it." Neemon finished for him, probably not word for word through.

Bokomon looked angrily at Neemon before snapping his pants again and saying, "Neemon you idiot! Let me ask the questions!"

He looked back at me. "Uhh, okay now, where was I? Oh! Yes, how did you find your spirit?"

I couldn't lie, they'd seen me evolve. All I could do was be short with the details. "I didn't find it," I told them, turning to leave. "It found me."

"Wait," Bokomon called out. "Don't you go yet. It says here that Raveamon was the protector of the warriors. Her main priority for some reason was the warrior of Light."

I stopped and looked back at him. He had my attention, though my mind felt completely scattered. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying it's your responsibility to protect Takuya, Zoe, Tommy, and JP—"

"I can't protect everyone at once!"

Bokomon sighed. "You're going to have to. Right now, Zoe and JP are your main two to be keeping an eye on, only because they can't protect themselves by spirit-evolving yet. And besides, it will get easier as it goes. You will be able to cooperate with them like a well-oiled machine in a few days!"

"…Is there anything else?" I asked, turning to leave again. I didn't want to be able to cooperate with them. I'd save them from being killed; I could handle that for a while. But other than that, I was only here because…because—

"Hmmm…" Bokomon thought for a minute. "No, I don't think so."

A cloud passed over all of us as we approached a fork in the tracks. Bokomon jumped up onto the lever that switched the rails and started to list off all of the directions we could go. It ended with, "Guh, I made myself sick."

"This way." Takuya said, pointing in the direction of more deserts.

"That way." Zoe said, pointing the opposite direction, and an area with more trees.

"You're wrong!" Takuya told her, sounding over-confident in himself.

"Why, just because I don't agree with you?! Don't you think the Forest Terminal might be surrounded by trees?!"

"Trailmon said to stay on this track. Your way curves left! You think you know everything!"

"Well I'm right!"

"So you wanna go right?"

"No! I'm going the way that makes sense! Later!" She said before stomping off down towards the trees.

"See ya!" Takuya replied, also stomping away.

Tommy took off after Takuya, "Wait up Takuya!"

"Wait!" JP called after Zoe, before running after her. "We should stick together!"

I sighed and mumbled, "For once I agree with him."

I looked between the two rails. One had trees, and that one had Zoe and JP with it. The other was surrounded by more deserts, and Takuya and Tommy were there.

"You may as well go left Toshiku," I looked down at Bokomon as he kept talking. "Neemon and I can't exactly take care of those two, and both Tommy and Takuya have their spirits. They should be fine until we meet up with them again."

I looked down at Takuya and Tommy again. I sighed, and mumbled as I started to go left, "If they come back eaten, don't blame me."

When I caught back up to Zoe and JP, he was saying something about beef jerky. I assumed he was talking to Zoe, even though she was a yard or two away from him.

"Do you think she's listening?" Bokomon asked.

"Nope!" Neemon answered.

"I doubt it." I added.

He blushed with embarrassment and ran after Zoe. "Wait up Z!"

"…Z?" I glanced at Neemon. "What do you think about….that?"

"It's the last letter in the alphabeet. I know that for sure!" He chimed merrily, seeming to ignore the fact that he mispronounced 'alphabet'. But I guess he could say—and do—all the stupid things he wanted to when Bokomon wasn't within earshot to snap his waist band.

"Uh, how much of the alpha…beet…do you actually know?"

"Ummm…let's see…Uh, 'A'…'B'…skip a few…'Z'? Was I close?"

I blinked. "…Close enough…I guess."

"This is one humungous tree!" Zoe exclaimed as we walked into the station built into the tree.

"So this must be the Forest Terminal, right?" JP asked.

I scoffed, "You probably just don't want to walk anymore."

"Hey! That's not true!" He retorted.

I sighed, "I should've turned right…"

JP was about to make a comeback—more likely than not a poor one that I could counter—but Bokomon spoke before he got the chance. "This is Breeezy Village!"

"It's called what now?" Zoe asked, confused at the concept of English.

"Do you understand _any _English? At all?" I asked her, about to turn from the sign and keep going.

"Welcome tourists,"

I smiled for a split second as I turned to see Koji sitting on a bench on the other side of the tracks.

I nearly had to whack the stupid thing off my face as I gave a reply, "Get a part-time job as a tour guide did ya?"

"Hmph," he smirked at me as he said, "I should be asking you that question." He looked at Bokomon, and asked, "So this isn't it?"

"You're right, it's not." Bokomon answered, sounding slightly upset about it himself.

Zoe let out this really happy-girlish giggle-thing as she gave a very cheerful 'hi' to Koji. "Hey Koji, what's up?"

He merely jumped down from where he was onto the tracks, and started on his way. I gave a quick hop and moved down on the track next to him.

We'd barely moved two feet before Zoe asked, "Uh, where are you guys going?"

Koji looked at her and replied, "Where I go is my own business. Thanks for asking."

"Uh, then where are you going Toshiku?"

I looked back at her as I replied, smirking lightly, "That way. Anything other than that, you're lavender-hat covered brain can't handle."

I heard a snicker come from Koji, and I glanced over at him. I blushed as I saw him looking back at me.

"Ohh! You both are so anti-social!" Zoe shouted after us.

"They kinda remind me of dark and white chocolate. May look good, but no taste!" JP said, again changing the subject back to chocolate.

I leaned over to Koji and said, "I think he just called you sweet."

"Tee-hee. The way I see it, he just called both of us bland." Koji said, glancing over at me as we passed the tree line.

I snickered at the sound effect. "Maybe he just didn't get the right brand."

Koji raised an eyebrow at me, "Where exactly are you going with that?"

I smiled and shook my head. "Never mind…never mind…heheheh!"

We walked in a serene silence for a little while. But for me, it didn't stay serene for long.

_"You're alone. He's unprepared. Attack him, spirit-evolve and take care of him while you have the chance! You don't have a choi—"_

"Toshiku? Toshiku? Are you okay?"

I glanced to the side to see his hand gently shake my shoulder. I felt a flurry of mixed emotions. His voice had been enough to cut through the dark cascade around my mind. His eyes were deep and filled with mystery. I could feel their serenity try to clear my thought of any darkness, but it couldn't cure me.

I tried to fake a smile, but I ended up just looking like I was in pain.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Nothing's wrong." I smiled at him again.

He looked at me. His expression told me, 'you're not a good liar; I don't believe you'. But he shrugged and continued walking, his hand slipping from my shoulder.

We walked again in silence for a minute or so. I felt that dark haze reset itself over my mind. I glanced at Koji out of the corner of my eye. I could see that he knew I'd lied, but he wasn't going to go somewhere I might not want him to be.

But I wanted him there.

"Uh…Koji?"

He looked over at me. I could've sworn I saw the remnants of a smile flicker across his face.

I looked down as I asked, "What would you say if I told you that wasn't the tr—"

I stopped when Koji put a hand to my lips.

"Ha! Some strangers are in the village eh? That's trouble!"

"They're human children!"

Koji moved behind a tree, creeping steadily closer to whatever had been talking. I stayed close behind him as their conversation continued undisturbed.

"Eh, you think those whiny wall flowers called them in to help?"

"Who cares? No one can stop the Mushroommon brothers! We'll get 'em!"

Their conversation ended with applause of evil laughter.

I glanced at Koji. "So, does that mean we have to go back?"

We ran back, but the Mushroommon beat us there anyway. They were already wreaking havoc upon Breezy Village.

Dust billowed up from a building that had just been destroyed. When it cleared, the Mushroommon introduced themselves, "We are the Mushroommon brothers!"

"No! Not again!" The little flower Digimon cried.

"We thought you understood—"

"Planting trees and flowers—"

"Is a big waste of time!" They took turns carrying off each others sentences, it got kinda annoying after the first three.

One of the flower Digimon tried to plead with them, "Please don't wreck all our plants!"

But they simply jumped upwards, and tossed mushroom shaped attacks at them. "Giggle Grenade."

They hit the ground, and at once burst into a yellow powder. All of the floral Digimon instantly began giggling and laughing uncontrollably.

Zoe looked around at them. "What's so funny?" She asked. "We're in trouble."

One of the Mushroommon snickered before saying, "If you were a Floramon, you'd be laughing too. Our Giggle Grenades keep them in a good mood."

"They get so tired from busting their gut, they can hardly move, let alone plant stuff!" A second one added.

"What did we ever do to you to deserve all this meanness?" one of the Floramon asked through its laughter. "We used to greet the visitors at the station together remember?"

"She's right!" Another added. "You were a real fun guy!"

"You Floramon were always more popular than us with the tourists! They always liked you better!"

"No matter how hard we tried to please those lupidty lubes, they always thought you flower girls were cuter and nicer than us spore guys!"

"That's not true!" One of the Floramon told them, the Giggle Grenade powder beginning to wear off. "They liked you guys too! Your mushroom mousse was so popular with the tourists—" She stopped to giggle again. "They liked it better than our soup!"

"That is enough! Mushroom Mash!" One of them shouted as it threw another attack down at them. Everyone moved, and only another small building was turned to dust.

"They're toasting this place like an English muffin!" JP exclaimed, making me face palm.

Koji glanced at me. "Well, would you rather he said something about chocolate again? He already uses it in his insults."

I smiled at him.

"Hold it!" Zoe shouted at them before storming up to them.

"You'd best get out of the way girlie—ow!" Zoe slapped the Mushroommon that had spoken across the face.

"Hey!" One of the other Mushroommon said. "That's my brother! Why'd you slap him?!"

"You need to learn how to get along!" Zoe told them in a loud voice. Not that her normal voice was anything near quiet.

At first there was a bit of silence. Then a simultaneous, "Huh?"

"Just because you feel like you're getting the short end of the stick, that doesn't give you the right to go around destroying things! Try solving things peacefully."

JP came up to help with the conversation at hand, but to me he ended up wrecking the progress that had already been made. "Yeah! Now listen up! You toadstool heads can't just come barging in here with your purple mushroom caps because they're just plain ugly! Right?" He looked over at Zoe, expecting her to agree with him.

I almost smiled at her reply. "You insulted them. That's totally wrong."

He slowly looked back at the Mushroommon.

"You shouldn't have said that. You're gonna get it! Charge!" they all shouted as they ran towards him.

He yelled as he ran away from them like a scared little kid.

"Take this!" One of them tossed another mushroom bomb attack at him.

"I didn't mean it!" JP shouted back at them, trying to get them to not kill him. I thought about going to help in, but in the end, I decided against it.

But nevertheless, they didn't stop throwing the bombs at him. He pulled out his D-Tector and started calling on his spirit.

Suddenly, a bright pink orb of light surrounding a fairy-looking figurine moved smoothly through the air out of a crevice in the tree.

"Yeah! My spirit!" JP exclaimed, holding up his D-Tector. "Spirit-evolution!"

The figuring flew over to him, but then just passed right over his head and over to Zoe. She pulled out her D-Tector, and the figuring was absorbed in it with a burst of lavender light.

She was shrouded in data, and came back into view as a lavender fairy-thing. She didn't exactly look dangerous in the least bit. But the scary thing was that her armor was crafted as if she was wearing a bikini.

"Uh, Koji? What would've happened if JP had gotten that spirit?" I asked, the mental image already burning my mind.

"I would've gone blind." He answered simply.

I looked at him. He looked back at me. I could see in his eyes that he had the image in his mind too.

"Let's never speak of this again." I told him.

"Agreed." He replied with a nod of his head.

When I looked back at them, I didn't see the Mushroommon, but in their place was a large, tree thing.

Zoe ran at him, and then jumped up into the air.

"How 'bout a little Love Tap!" She called as she slammed her hip into it. She continued then the rapidly send kicks into the bark. "Your bark is much tougher than your bite!"

"Enough!" he shouted, swatting at her with one of his branch-hands.

Zoe did a quick flip, sending one more kick into the bark before scooting out of the way and saying, "Man, am I good!"

I jumped out from behind the trees, spirit-evolving as I went and replied, "Actually no."

"Heheh, that kinda tickled! My bark's feeling all funny!" Woodmon said with an evil grin. "But see I'm not laughing! There is no escape from my Branch Bash!" At once one of his branch-hands shot out from his side, smacking Zoe in the face.

She hit the ground with a yell.

"Zoe!" JP yelled as he ran towards her, but he didn't get very far. Woodmon merely swatted him away.

While Woodmon was wrapped up in gloating over his little victories, I jumped up onto his hollowed out head.

"Stellar Shadow!" I pressed my hands together, focusing all of my energy into them. The color of the marks on my hands changed from white to a copper red. I could feel the attack commencing and trying to break through to the creature through the spaces between my fingers. I separated my hands, and a ball of black, white, and copper colored power crashed down into Woodmon.

He let out a yell, but my attack didn't do as much harm as I'd hoped.

"Branch Bash!" It thrusted the branches up at me. Both of them at once.

"Guardian's Shield!" My wings hardened and I blocked the attack. I groaned, trying to keep it from crushing me.

"Hey! Cut it out!" Koji shouted as he ran towards Woodmon.

"Branch Bash!" He forced more pressure into his attack, and my wings tried to fold in on me.

"No!" Koji pulled out his D-Tector, raised it into the air and spirit-evolved into Lobomon.

"Huh?" Woodmon looked at him with confusion, and probably a bit of fear.

"Lobo-kendo!" Koji ran forward, light-sword extended. Woodmon attempted to smack him away, but he jumped out of the way of its arm. He slashed the sword against it, and a small crater opened up in its forehead.

It was as if you'd just tickled him.

He laughed evilly and asked, "Was that a Love Tap?!"

"Howling Laser!" He raised his arm and fired a blue light from a small, cannon-like gun on his wrist. It crashed through the hole his last attack had made, and burst through the other side.

"Obviously you've been taken over by evil." Koji stated.

I raised my arms up, my hand clasped together like applause. "Moon Beam!" I wrapped my hands around the handle of a white sword, the edges pulsing as the tide obeyed the moon's commands to move.

As Woodmon grinned at Koji, I slammed the side of my sword into the holes Koji's attacks had made, and it let out a cry of pain as more and more holes appeared all over its frame.

"Shadow creature! Be purified by the light!" Koji shouted as he jumped forward and a stream of data wrapped around Woodmon. "Fractal code, digitize!" Koji held his D-Tector up to the data, and it absorbed all of the data that had formed the evil Woodmon.

The figure of Woodmon faded, and the three Mushroommon appeared on the ground in front of where I'd jumped to.

"Hey…" One of the Mushroommon asked, even their voices had a lighter tone to them. "What happened to us?"

"Where are we?"

"Were we in some kind of bad dream?"

"You're in Breezy Village." I told them. They looked up at me with wonder in their eyes. I figured it was because of the whole warrior thing. "You were under the dark control of…" It sent pain through me just to utter his name. "Well, that doesn't matter. What does is that this is over. Go back to your friends."

I changed back to my human form as the Mushroommon did as I'd suggested and went to see the Floramon.

I went over and leaned against a tree to rest as Koji returned the fractal code to the Breezy Village landscape. I was about to go and find where Takuya and Tommy were (hopefully not inside another Digimon), but then I saw Koji walking up to me.

I felt a rush of excitement run through me as I tried to lean against the tree again. But instead I fell on the ground. I tried to make it look like I was just sitting against the tree kinda weird, but I could tell by the look on his face that he'd seen me fall over.

He stood in front of me silently for a minute with that look still on his face.

Finally I asked, "Did you see that?"

All he did was smirk. That was as good of an answer as any.

"Well…" I blushed as I replied to the sly curve of his mouth. "I meant to do that…And, thanks for helping me out back there. I'd probably be flat right now if you hadn't cut in."

He shrugged and told me casually, "I told you I'd repay you. So I did."

I smiled and said, "So, I guess this means I owe you now—" I stopped mid-sentence when I heard something snap. I looked up to see something round and white come flying down at my face.

It bounced off my forehead and landed in my hands.

"Uh, Koji? What the hell just hit me in the head?!" I asked, turning the black, white, blue, and yellow round thing over and over in my hands.

Koji crouched down by my side and touched it. "I think it's an egg. But it can't be," He prodded at one of the yellow metal wing-looking things on it. "Eggs don't have…those."

I looked at him blankly for a minute.

I returned my attention to the egg-thing when I heard a crack and a bright light shone out from it. I watched in awe as the light surrounded the egg, followed by more cracks and snaps.

I felt a strange softness touch my hands as the light started to fade away. When I wasn't blinded anymore, I saw a little black furred Digimon. There were two long tails out behind it: a fluffy black one, and a long white metallic one. It had a silver little helmet that showed its two bright yellow eyes, and little points where I figured the ears must be. It had little bright yellow claws sticking out of its small black paws. And there were two yellow blade-like wing-things on its back.

He looked back and forth from me and Koji; a smile decorated his little muzzle.

"Mama! Papa!" It cried as it wrapped its front paws around both of us, slamming my and Koji's heads together.

I cast a small glare at Koji as I said, "_You _poked it!"

He glared back. "You're the one that caught it."

"I didn't want to kill the thing! And besides, it _jumped _into my hands."

I looked away from Koji and saw everyone run up to us. As soon as they got to us, the little puppy-Digimon had to start talking again.

"Look Mama! Look Papa! Persons!"

Everyone looked at each other before bursting into laughter.

"Yeah…" I looked back at Koji. "Koji, go crush them."

"I would, but it's got me."

"Aww! It's so cute!" Zoe exclaimed, prying it off of me and Koji and hugging the little thing to her.

"Mama, Papa, I can't breathe." It said, glancing back at me and Koji.

"Zoe, hug him less killing-ly." I said, getting up off of the ground. Koji got up after me, rubbing the part of his head that my head had collided with when we got hugged.

"Wait, so, if you guys are the mom and the dad…" Takuya came up from behind us and wrapped an arm around our shoulders. "Does that mean I can be the uncle?!"

"Hey!" Zoe exclaimed with a smile. "If Takuya gets to be the uncle, I get to be the aunt!"

"I get to be a grandpa!" Neemon shouted merrily, before getting another waist band snap from Bokomon.

"That's Weregarumon! He's…well, I'll explain later." Bokomon said with of a wave of his hand.

I sighed before mumbling, "And that's any better, how?"


	6. Chapter 5: Home

Chapter 5: Home

Takuya, JP, and Zoe stopped and looked out from where we were on the tracks down at the view below and in front of them as I walked past with Weregarumon curled up in my arms. The little ball of fur had put me through a lot of trouble yesterday; he'd been chasing around other little Digimon while we were trying to get some more distance in for the day. I glanced down at him to see that he was fast asleep, snoring lightly. Big surprise.

As he fidgeted and pulled at my sleeve, trying to make a small 'pillow' for his head, I started to wonder why I'd ended up having him (other than the fact that I had lost the 'arguement' against Koji). It felt like somehow…he seemed…familiar. Like I'd known him before. Just something about the way he looked…

A sandy wind suddenly picked up, and I wrapped my arms tighter around him to keep the sand out of his eyes. But it didn't seem to bother him, and he merely nestled in closer to my side. Apparently he was the type that could sleep through just about anything.

"Hey cool! My ears are full of sand!" Neemon exclaimed, flicking at his big yellow ears. I mean, they were big enough for him to be the yellow, rabbit-ish Digimon version of Dumbo. Except for the whole thing that Dumbo had a hat, and a little mouse friend-thing, while Neemon had red pants and Bokomon.

"Yes," Bokomon (there's another way to look at that guy now...) replied as we walked between two walls of dirt-brown rock. "And your head is full of rocks." _Or, you stuffed it full of too much...well...rock. Aw crap, I'm glad I didn't say _that _outloud._

"Wow, I haven't been in a wind this strong since…well, ever." Tommy commented while trying to keep his hat from blowing away. I honestly wasn't surprised to hear such a thing; Tommy didn't exactly seem like the kind of person to be seeking adventure and such outside in a natural scene.

I looked up as something headed towards us on the tracks; I jumped to the side as a Trailmon rushed past us. Getting hit by a Trailmon just a day or so after I actually got to this place wasn't really on the top of my 'to do' list.

"Why does everything in the Digital world have to come out of nowhere?!" Takuya complained. He'd noticed that we'd all almost been run down by the giant piece of living, moving metal too. I wondered if everyone else had been watching while that happened.

"What do you mean 'nowhere'? We're walking along train tracks." Bokomon told him in an 'isn't it obvious' tone. _No, no, no. They aren't 'train tracks', they're Trailmon tracks. Get your facts straight ya white and pink piece bearer of information that I don't know but don't need nevertheless._

Takuya didn't seem to care in the least bit that we were walking on a place were the Trailmon rushed past just like regular trains, probably because they pretty much were just like regular trains. Except I'd never been on a train that spoke to me before. Or that had teeth. "So?"

I sighed as I asked, trying to restrain a grin as my voice kept it's blank tone, "Were you expecting them to say, 'here I am', and then run you over. Then say, 'I think we hit something' and then go back and flatten you again?"

He glared at me, but didn't reply. I doubted that he could even think of a way to actually reply to that statement of mine at all. Takuya's brain was probably being squeezed out of his ears by his hat right now as we spoke.

I looked around; the wind had died down a few minutes ago. "Huh? Where did the wind…go?" I mumbled to myself before noticing that a large yellow funnel had been absorbing the winds in a sort of physic-math-algebra-crap sorta way that I knew I would never be able to understand even if I tried, or found some kind of computer nerd that could explain it in dumb person terms.

"Wow! Awesome!" Tommy exclaimed as we approached a gargantuan factory. That's not how I would've described it. But, it would be kinda funny to watch Zoe—being the legendary warrior of Wind—get sucked into one of those.

"Welcome to Wind Factory Incorporated!" Bokomon told us, sounding very pleased with himself for knowing what it was. Even though there was a sign right above the door, the name of the constuction written in giant letters.

"Wind Factory Incorporated?" Zoe repeated, sounding slightly confused. _Yes! Zoe (wind, Zoe, haha!) Factory Incorporated!...Wait, what are they even making? If it's sushi...I'm never eating that stuff again if I'm gonna be constantly reminded that it's made not only out of fish, but Zoe._

"A division of Mother Nature Enterprises!" Neemon added gleefully. I was slightly surprised to find that he was right. And that Bokomon didn't just state that he was right and through a giant celebration right here and now because of it. It didn't seem like Neemon to be shouting out right answers like they just came to him. Maybe Bokomon cheated and was telling him what everything was before he said anything. But that wouldn't really explain the dumbness though...

"Hey look," Takuya said as he pointed through the door to a bunch of gray beetle-looking Digimon. They looked a bit like metallic beetles to me, but for all I knew, they could've been cherries in disguise. "Some Digimon."

"Nice eye Kanbara." I commented his statement of the obvious with a bit of a grin. I knew he'd known (maybe) that we'd been able to see them too, but I couldn't resist. I couldn't help but take a crack at snapping at one of them. They just set everything up too well.

Takuya looked back at me blankly as Bokomon told us all in his I'm-a-professor-guy-fear-me voice, "Those are Kokuwamon. I don't know why they would be here though…but if there are so many of them here, there must be some kind of food somewhere in there."

"Alright!" Takuya exclaimed as he ran up to the gates, forgetting my comment completely. Apparently he paid much more attention to what he stomach was telling him than what other people said. That's a big surprise. Though, it would've been more obvious if it were JP. "Then let's have us a feast!"

"But Takuya, hold on," JP called out to him. I guessed that this was either going to be about JP being too lazy to go and get his own food, or JP might be blaming Takuya for his missing chocolate. If he really started bugging everyone about it, I might decide to tell him that Weregarumon had stolen it while he wasn't watching.

Takuya turned around and walked back to him. He seemed just as confused about JP's reason for calling him back as I knew everyone else had to be. Though, I could tell that everyone was guessing what I was. Food. "Why? What's up?"

I glanced at Neemon. The yellow creature was just standing there still as a statue, except for the fact that he was breathing and was still smiling like an idiot. But, I don't think he could get any other kind of face besides that one. Maybe he'd gotten stuck like that. "Ten bucks says this is about food."

"Ooo! Ten deer!" Neemon exclaimed merrily, his eyes getting large with the thought of all the fluffy, white pointed tails. "Wait," He stopped his merry-ing for a moment. "Which one was the one with the headgear built into their brains?"

I stared at the creature, completely dumbfounded by that kind of a question. I knew what he meant...sort of. But how you go about answering that in terms that people like Neemon can understand is a whole different story. "…Yeah…" I looked back at Takuya and JP as they continued talking.

"Listen Takky, as long as you're going to get some food, would you mind bringing me back an order with extra everything?" JP asked, making me face palm. I knew he'd been talking about food this whole time, but that didn't mean that he couldn't have shown a bit of pride and just kept quiet.

"What? I'm not the Pizzamon. It's every tummy for itself! Ruff!" Takuya replied, making a small barking sound as he took off for the factory again. I had to hand it to him with the Pizzamon thing, but he really could've gone without the demeaning little yap at the end.

The little bark must've woken Weregarumon up, even though Takuya had been at least four or five yards away, maybe more. But Weregarumon did seem to be wolf-like, and dogs had a fairly good sense of hearing. Weregarumon made a little bark of his own and let out a little giggle as he jumped out of my arms and tunneled through a little hole in one of the rock walls.

"Weregarumon! Come back here!" I shouted as I ran over to the hole. I had no idea Weregarumon could run through rock walls, or that he could fit himself into the smallest hole in the wall known to mankind. I crouched down and looked through it, but I couldn't see him.

I growled before spirit-evolving and gliding over the rock wall after Weregarumon. I couldn't fit through the wall myself, nor would I try. I knew for a fact that I would end up getting stuck. Or not even make it in. I half expected someone to be yelling at me to come back, or let them help me find him if they'd seen him run off, but no one did.

I hovered high above the rock wall, hoping to be able to see Weregarumon when he came out of the tunnel, but I didn't see him. You'd think it would be easy to follow a path of destruction, but I didn't see one right now. Maybe it—and/or Weregarumon—would just pop out of nowhere. Like Takuya said, lots of stuff here in the Digital World seemed to do that.

"Weregarumon! Where are you!?" I shouted into the clouds. I knew Weregarumon wouldn't answer me, and the others might have heard me shout and might come to see what was wrong, but it was worth a shot. And besides, Zoe was the only one with a spirit that could fly, and she wouldn't be able to catch up to me anyway.

I searched the ground again. I cocked my head to the side when a black dot shot out of the wall with long trail of dust following it. That was either Weregarumon, or the rock wall had just shot a watermelon seed out of its mouth. Or, at least shot it out of something.

"There you are…" I mumbled before curving down and landing on the ground before running after him. I hadn't expected the little guy to be able to move as fast as he could, but I guess that he didn't have to use the time that he could me moving having to jumped over or push through bushes and plants.

I jumped over a bush that he'd gone straight through, leaving a small hole in the very center of it. It was actually pretty easy to follow him. All I had to do was follow the destruction of the trees and bushes. And my spirit having a kind of bird's eye point of view, that wasn't too hard.

I broke out of the trees and looked around. There was a small area that had no trees. There were a few small houses and buildings, with a small little town square in the center of it all. If this was a Digimon village, it was an awfully small one; at least when you compared it to the others that I'd seen. And that factory.

I de-spirit-evolved and walked over to the small town. I glanced around as all kinds of Digimon passed me. A few stopped and moved to the side to let me through, staring at me intently, but not angrily by any means. But one stepped right in my way, making me crash into it.

"Hey," I growled, getting his attention with my infuriated tone. Though, maybe I should've been smarter and just let it pass this time. I could've avoided a lot of stuff if I'd just let it go and move on. But I didn't. "Could you watch where you walk?"

It growled at me; I flinched as it lashed out at me, and grabbed onto my neck. I let out a yell as I spirit-evolved, despite the increasing pressure on my throat. I would have to fight him just to get a chance to get away. It didn't look like anyone was going to help me out.

He growled again as he mumbled, his furry lips parting as he spoke, "You don't remember me? I don't remember you either, but you seem a bit familiar somehow. Like AncientRaiafemon..."

I glanced behind the large, dark grey-ish were-dog as an orange dog with a blue 'D' on its chest snickered nasally. If he was this dude's companion, I could see why he was so pissed off. But what seemed strange was the name he'd used. Most Digimon that I'd heard of so far had never had a name that sounded like that.

I glanced down at the ground as I heard Weregarumon call out to me. "Mama!" He jumped at the Digimon strangling me up in the air, biting into the arm that had me. "Let go, you big bully!" I had to admit, Weregarumon may've still been young, but he had spunk.

"Get lost squirt." It growled as it whacked him away. I snarled; I didn't really care if this guy was gonna pick a fight with me just because I looked like one of his old enemies, but that didn't give him the right to be whacking a little guy like Weregarumon.

I curled my fingers into him, my talons cutting through his arm. He let out a yell and dropped me as I growled and exclaimed in a strong voice, landing on my feet as I replied to his action against Weregarumon; standing straight I was just as tall as him, "Leave him out of this."

He scowled; apparently it really didn't matter to him what did or didn't happen. He was just plain pissed that I'd put those wounds in his arm. "Fine. Doggymon, get her." He directed the command to the orange Digimon next to him.

It snickered in that weird way it had again as it stretched out towards me like silly putty. Doggymon curled itself around a tree, and then flung from there at me. It was like it was trying to make itself into a sling shot, and also be the pebble all at the same time.

He may as well have skipped over to me with a flower in his hand.

I unfolded my wings from my back and whacked one into his face, sending him flying right back over to the other darker colored Digimon, crashing into the ground along side him. But it got back up nevertheless, and tried to go after me again.

The whole shebang played through like it had the first time. It was just like pressing rewind, then fast forward a few times. And everyone just loves doing that, even if everyone else who's watching the movie start getting really pissed at you for wrecking it.

As they stood a few yards in front of me, I raised my hands up above my head, ready to use any attack that came to mind. I breathed in and out rhythmically, my entire being calm. For me, this was a new high; that and fighting something like them feeling so easy. Maybe I was staring to get used to all of this.

I grinned as I asked, my own advantage giving my tone a bit of a very over confident touch to it. But, it was true; I didn't think that there was ever a chance that someone could beat me right now. "So, whatchya gonna do?"

Doggymon took a few steps back and pulled on the other Digimon's fur. It stretched up and whispered something in its ear, making it look at me differently and nod. It must have been something about not being able to fight me, but I couldn't hear them, and didn't feel like guessing, only to end up being wrong.

They both took a few more steps back, before turning tail and running off into the forests surrounding the little town. I grinned as I watched them run, tempted to shake my fist after them like some old person would as they shouted 'get off my lawn'.

I returned back to normal form again. As soon as I was sure they wouldn't be coming back for a while, I looked around the town. There were a lot of fairly short Digimon; I hoped that I wouldn't step on one and start another fight between all of them and me, though I doubted that they could really do that much damage. They were all different colors, and their eyes were the opposite color of the rest of them. They all had those eyes planted on me.

"Mama!" I turned to see Weregarumon bound up to me and jump up into my arms. He looked at me, little tears in his bright yellow eyes. His voice was happy, but sad at the same time. Only Weregarumon could do that. "Mama, are you okay?"

I felt my throat tighten with emotion as I answered, "Yeah, I'm alright." Then I asked, remembering why I was even there, "Why did you run off like that? What do you think would've happened if Doggymon and that other guy got to you before I did?"

"I'm sorry Mama," He whimpered; his cuteness was starting to make me not mind the name anymore. "I thought I heard Papa." His words confused me; had he been awakened because of Takuya's...er, barking? Or had it really been that he'd thought he'd heard Koji...

I looked back at the other Digimon. They were all staring at me as if the end of the world had come, and I was about to bring about the new one. But I knew that I wasn't; maybe I should clue them in and let them know that I was no savior. I wasn't going to be able to help anyone in this place. But there didn't seem to be any other way of getting them away from me.

"…Uh, yes? Can…can I…help you?" All of them staring at me had given me an uneasy feeling, and some of their bright, fluorescent color combinations were starting to burn my eyes like fireworks. Except it was nowhere near July, or the fourth for that matter.

"You…" A group of apparent elders came up to me. I had no idea what kind of Digimon they were, but they looked like they had been here forever. "You are…Raveamon? You can…evolve into her? How can that be? Does that mean that she...she is...a Digi-destined protector?"

I gulped, hoping this wouldn't turn into another History lesson, "I don't know. The crash…" My whole body shook as I remembered. The pain. All of the screaming. Then…alone. "It left everything…blurry. Like…I…was different. And I didn't…know…why…" I struggled to find words to explain to them how I could change. But honestly, I didn't want them to know. I, truthfully, didn't want to know. And I barely even did.

"Well," Another of the elders spoke up. She was a scarlet-ish brown color, though she had no eyes that I could see. There were little green dots around her feet, forehead, and around where her stomach would've been, but I really couldn't tell what was her knee and what was just her arm. "It doesn't necessarily matter now that we know, now does it? As long as you can. Have you…accepted that fate?"

"…What fate are you talking about?" I asked them, not finding the sudden hesitation to finish that sentence…comforting. It was as if she was trying to hide something from me that wasn't exactly...pleasant. And I didn't want there to be anything that I was missing if it was important.

"Why, you're destiny. Will you not accept it? And anything that you need to do to fulfill all of the legends? Are you not a chosen child? Aren't you the one who was chosen by AncientRaiafemon herself protect them?" Another one of those Digimon, this time a male, though they looked pretty much the same except he had bright green eyes that you could actually see asked me.

"…My destiny…my…fate? Chosen? Fulfill the legends?" There were too many questions to answer, all of them having the same one, just put into different words. "I'm so confused. All of this…can't…can't you explain it to me?" I pleaded with them, the frustration making me pull at my wind-blown hair.

They made a quick huddle amongst themselves and held a quick conversation. They turned back to me and said, "Yes, we can. We are Senariomon, the elders of this town. You're spirit…technially AncientRaiafemon…she…she was from here. This was her home."

I stared back at them in confusion, and slight awe. I could barely believe that my spirit had…had grown up here. This was a little town, and I felt the slight sense of serenity in it. But with those two Digimon here…I wondered if she'd ever battled them herself in the past.

"Come along now," One of the elders came up to me and took my sleeve. She pulled me towards an opening in a tree near the edge of the tree line. I noticed that many of these trees had strange burn marks on them. "Many of your questions can be answered from the past."

She walked into the tree first, and down a flight of steps carved into the dirt. I moved through slowly, not sure if I was making a mistake about trusting them or not. But I knew it was too late when I hit the soft ground at the bottom of the steps, and fell flat on my face—since I took another step upwards, then down, then face plant.

The Senariomon watched me as I got back to my feet, and then continued on to one of the thick dirt walls. I was glad that she didn't say anything about my meeting with the ground. If she had, I probably would've said something along the lines of 'I was just...er, inspecting the dirt to see if it was...uhh, brown'.

She waited for me to catch up before saying, "Now, what do you see here?" I thought about answering, but she didn't give me the chance even if I had wanted to start my answer. Hopefully she would start out slow, and with small-ish words. "Who does that look like to you?" So far she had.

I glanced where she pointed. It was hard to see in this lighting, but I would have to just suffer and try my best to assume what the strange scribbles on the side of the hard dirt/rock was. "Well, Raveamon, but how does this help m—"

"Yes, Raveamon. Now, who are they?" She gestured to the rest of the little drawings. There had to have been at least ten or them, maybe more. But right now she was sticking to a little group of them. I was slightly surprised that she was going through the ones that I knew.

I looked again where she had pointed. I stared at the pictures carved onto the walls. I pointed at a crudely drawn red one—well, all of them were crudely drawn, "Well…I think that one's Agunimon. Then the one next to him…that's Kazemon. Then there's Kumamon," I moved on to the next one: a blue, beetle-looking guy. "I've never seen him before. And then there's Lobomon, and then Raveamon. Then there are a heck of a lot of other ones that I don't know."

"So, you know five of the six legendary warriors you see here? You won't have to wait long to know the sixth one and the rest—"

"But…you and Bokomon have told me I need to protect them. How can you expect me to do that when I could barely protect myself against Woodmon?" I interrupted her, hoping she wouldn't mind, but also noting the fact that she would have to over look it, since it had already happened and there really was no going back.

"You will know in time. You shall have more than one choice with which to protect them. But for now, you'll just have to let yourself do what you want to do. Just go with the wind, try to keep the peace between them for as long as you can. And, if an argument arises, be the one to stop them.

"There will also come a time when you'll have to choose. There is darkness deep inside you. I can feel it like an ocean in your heart and your mind. But there is light. In your heart; there is brightness there, and it lingers in your mind too," She looked at me, all seriousness in her expression. "It is there to save you from Cherubimon. You will have a choice. You need to know what it means to you. Without it with you…" She turned from the paintings and made her way slowly back to the stairs. "There is no hope for this world."

I watched as she struggled up the steps and finally out of my view. Nothing she'd told me had helped. She'd only made more questions. And more things to wonder about were not what I needed right now. I needed answers, but those were the one things that I wasn't going to be recieving.

I stood there staring blankly at the paintings and markings until the candle that had lit the room fluttered and threatened to flicker out. But even if it did, I wouldn't care; it wasn't helping me figure out what this light was. Was it supposed to be the warrior of Light or something? Or was it something that I was over looking; something that I'd figure out in time, like Scenariomon had told me?

I heard a light snoring and glanced at my shoulder where Weregarumon had once been perched. He was yet again curled up and fast asleep. I was slightly surprised that he had that kind of balance, but I couldn't complain. If he fell off, I would have to catch him, and there was a very low chance of that anyway.

I sighed and sat down on the dirt. Even though questions plagued my mind like a parasite and didn't want to have to admit it to myself, I was tired. I leaned my back up against the wall as I mumbled, closing my eyes, "I may as well catch some shut-eye too."

_"There is no light in you. Only blackness. You may be bright, but you cannot escape your own thoughts. They will drown you in your own fear. But fulfill your thoughts, do as they plead. And they'll not harm you—"_

"Get away from…" I looked around. There was nothing but the sound of my own heavy breathing around me. I'd woken myself up from just another dream of the Barney-looking guy again. I didn't know why that guy wouldn't just leave me alone. Why couldn't I get over this dream already? "Me…"

I let out a calm sigh before wrapping my arms around my legs and resting my head against my knees. I felt so tired, but I knew I'd slept through the whole night. Just not peacefully. And I didn't want to try again; that would only bring about more of those dreams. What he said though changed with each dream; I always found that kind of odd.

I stood up, noticing that Weregarumon wasn't even there with me anymore. I ran towards the steps, but took one look back at the paintings. I wished that there was more that they and the Scenariomon could tell me, but I knew that even if I asked, they would say that what they had already told me was all that I really needed to know right now, and that the rest would play out for me in time. But I didn't want to have to wait for it. Nevertheless, I continued to run up the steps and finally up to the open air.

The air smelled even sweeter than I remembered it had yesterday. It was like it got sweeter every day. For all I knew, it could've. There wasn't anything to get into it and make it reek of expired food and gasoline. Nor was there grime from things that you didn't even know what the hell they were. It was pure, and it was nothing like that of my world.

I held my hands behind my head, tilting my face slightly to the sky, and just let the breeze wash over me, clearing my mind of all the feelings of dread that still had a hold around my mind from my dreams. Warm, early sunshine passed over my face, neck, and hands, heating me back up from sleeping on the cold dirt all night long.

I let my arms drop back down to my sides as one of the Senariomon walked up to me with Weregarumon in its hands. The Senariomon looked pissed beyond belief, but little Weregarumon was wriggling and smiling his little puppy smile. He'd probably been off doing something he shouldn't have, and the Senariomon caught him red-handed–er, pawed.

"I believe this is yours?" It asked as he handed him to me, the tone of its voice shaking all my doubt of it not being angry with me and/or Weregarumon. Apparently I was gonna be taking him back with me whether I wanted to or not.

"Uh, yeah. It's mine. I guess." I replied awkwardly as I took Weregarumon from him. The fluffy little guy still wiggling and trying to hold in all of his little giggles as my fingers and the Senariomon's hair tickled his soft-furred stomach.

As it walked away, even in the way that it walked I could tell that it was really pissed off about something. I was just glad that he hadn't shouted at me about keeping a closer eye on Weregarumon. I glanced down at the beaming Weregarumon after I was sure the Senariomon wasn't coming back.

"…What exactly were you doing?" I asked the wiggly little worm. I tried hard to to smile as the little guy continued to laugh. Honestly, I was glad that this Weregarumon had happened to me and Koji instead of anyone else. There was so much that I would be missing. And I didn't want to miss one thing.

He beamed up at me even more, but didn't reply for a minute, like he was thinking about whether or not he should really tell me what he had been off doing. But he told me anyway; he chimed, "I went looking for Ta-kun Mama!"

"Uh, Ta-kun?" I'd never heard Weregarumon mention someone named Ta-kun before. But, it did have a bit of a Takuya-like sound to it. If I was lucky, I could assume that's who he meant and be right about it. "You're talking about Takuya, right?"

He nodded before jumping out of my arms and beginning to sprint back into the forest and away from the Senariomon's village. He stopped and called back to me saying, "One, two, three, four, I may not be able to rhyme, but I know the way to Ta-kun!"

I shook my head in disbelief at the attempted…thing, but ran after him anyway. At least he'd been honest. And this saved me a lot of time trying to find them by myself. I didn't want to have to spend two days or more being lost in the world. Whoever kept sending us those messages had made it clear for us to go to the Forest Terminal. Whatever the hell that was.

I ran up to the gates of the factory that I'd just been at yesterday, expecting to see exactly what I'd seen yesterday, but instead stood staring at large piles of metal and all kinds of ruins from what the factory _used_ to be.

I raised my hands to my head as I took a mental note: never, ever leave these people alone when they can turn into creatures that can make everything and anything around them go ka-boom! "Aw man! You guys blew up the factory?!"

I groaned and ran over to them. They had better have had a really good reason for destroying this factory, or I was gonna whack all of them upside the head a few dozen times. Takuya turned to see my coming over to them and smiled before running up to me, shouting the whole frickin' way, "I did it myself!"


	7. Chapter 6: Uprising

Chapter 6: Uprising

"What?! No money!?" I stood outside some kind of an eatery while everyone else tried to get something to eat. I watched blankly as the door slid open and everyone was thrown out of it by a big gold beetle. Half of me thought that JP would've gotten along just fine with it, his spirit being a blue bug itself. "Please come back, when you're not such a bunch of dead beats!" And with that, it slammed the door closed.

"…Will do!" I shouted as I waved my arm at the door. "Okay guys, he's not letting you back in, now let's go."

I tried to walk away, but they just complained and I forced myself to go back and listen to their complaints.

"But I have money right here!" Zoe complained as she pulled out a small pink coin purse and held of few of the coins in her hand.

"You have money?" Bokomon asked, sounding slightly surprised. "Let me see it."

Zoe handed him the money, and he held it in front of his face and examined it.

"You call this money?" he asked, staring at it like it was dumber than Takuya. "Quite frankly, I would've thrown you out of that restaurant too." And with that, he tossed her money out to the sides.

I thought it was frickin' hilarious, but I held my mocking laughter in, and only allowed myself a small grin.

"So," JP asked as Zoe started to scurry around, picking up every single coin Bokomon had thrown. "What's money like in the Digital world huh? And how do we get our hands on some?"

Bokomon turned to them and said, one finger up in the air in a matter of factly way that actually made it seem to me like he was flipping them off, "It's quite simple really: stop being so lazy and get a job."

"You want us kids to work?!" Takuya seemed so offended. "That's what an allowance is for!"

"Can't you just lend us some?" Tommy suggested, finding one of the simplest ways to obtain crap.

I sighed in annoyance as JP and Takuya followed gleefully in the idea. They cupped their hands out in front of them and said, "Yeah! Hand it over!"

Zoe followed in the plan to get the greens too. "Big bucks!"

Bokomon, apparently just fine with the idea, pulled out a large green pouch from his waist band. I stared at him for a minute, wondering what else he could fit in that thing.

He opened the green purse, and shook it while holding it upside-down. Nothing but dust came tumbling out of it.

Everyone went into depressed mode as Bokomon stated, "As you can see, I'm short on funds too."

"You were poor before, you're still poor now. Nothing's changed." I told them as I started to follow Bokomon and Neemon, who had started to walk away.

"Now come on you nincompoops, follow me." Bokomon stopped walking, making Neemon bump into him, and me trip over both of them as a wailing came from the group of people behind us. "It's time to go!"

"That's not going." Neemon stated the obvious as if it were last night's news special.

More crying and wailing came as Zoe complained, "But we're still hungry!"

"Yeah," Takuya added onto her complaint. "We gotta eat something!"

"Anything!" Tommy said it as if he'd eat a license plate. Right now, I didn't doubt that any of them wouldn't.

I almost burst into cheers of joy when JP stopped his wailing. He'd been making all of the Digimon around stare at us.

"Hey you guys?" He pointed forward at a sign behind me. "Take a look at that!" As everyone turned to stare at the sign, JP started reading it out loud. "Heroes wanted! All your meals for free! Rock solid!"

"I'm brave enough to eat!" Takuya exclaimed as everyone turned on happy mode and jumped to their feet.

"Am I the only one who feels like this is just too convenient?" I asked, hoping that maybe someone would pay attention and see from my side the dangers this could present. But of course, no one did.

I sighed before following them and glancing at the snail Digimon they were staring at.

They stared back at us, probably wondering what we wanted.

"Uh, we're heroes…?" Takuya said, even though I didn't like the way that their little eyeballs on sticks glowed after he said it.

"Why in the hell did I agree to come with you guys again?" I asked, sitting cross-legged in an orange crate-looking train wagon.

"Because you love us, now shut up so the train doesn't hear you." Takuya replied, his head sticking out of the bush that was supposed to be hiding us.

"Ha! I think it's because you wouldn't let go of my ankle!" I retorted, making him turn around and cast me a glare that said, 'when we start moving, I'm throwing you on the tracks'.

I shot him a scowl right back. My expression was clear, 'you do that, and I'm bringing you with me'.

We continued to make threatening faces at each other until the cart surged forward and onto the tracks. I wasn't fazed by it, but he tumbled to the floor of the cart, landing on his face. I let out a bit of mocking laughter at him as he sat back up and scowled at me.

"One day a mean creature named Grumblemon attacked," I nearly jumped out of the cart as I saw one of the KaratsukiNumemon in front of me; already they were getting into a speech about why they needed help. "We are peaceful. We can't fight him by ourselves."

Another one picked up from where he left off. "He demanded our mountain's fractal code, but we told him we didn't even know where it is. But he thinks we're lying. That's why we need you heroes."

"I guess this is the uprising of evil. This Grumblemon guy sounds like he knows what he's talking about," I asked the Digimon, just not getting their way of finding help. "How do you know we won't fail you? That we aren't lying?"

"Oh, come on Toshiku," Takuya said, trying to sound as cheery and happy as he could. "Don't be such a downer all the time."

"Well pardon me for not wanting to get us killed!" I mumbled to myself, making sure he didn't hear me. That no one did.

I tuned back into the conversation going on as Bokomon finished, "…sometimes it's out in the open, but other times it is hidden. Try to remember that."

"I'm afraid there's more of our story to tell," the Digimon continued, even though I honestly didn't want to hear any more and was about ready to ask Takuya if he was planning on going through with the plan to toss me onto the tracks. "Grumblemon took our women to trade for the mountain's fractal code."

"That's horrible!" Tommy commented.

"Guys can be such jerks." Zoe stated. "So that's why you wanted our help? To save your women?"

"Yes."

JP was the next to speak up. "Just leave everything to us!"

"We are in your debt heroes." They replied.

I felt like I was going to be sick. "Stop saying that."

"Alright!" JP licked his lips as he started the next topic for conversation. "Now about that chow…"

"Wait a minute…" Takuya asked timidly as he looked down at the tracks ahead of us. I crossed my arms in front of me. "You expect us to ride through that…in this?! Are you snails insane?!"

As everyone freaked out and grabbed at stuff, (JP nearly chose me to hold onto, but I think the look of death I gave him scared him more than the up coming tracks) all of them trying to find ways to make sure they didn't fall out of the cart.

I just kinda sat there and watched blankly as everyone freaked out. My favorite part was when Takuya nearly fell out.

I leaned back against the cart with my eyes closed and hands behind my head as everyone's screaming tried to pierce my eardrums into a million little pieces.

"How can you be so calm?!" Takuya shouted at me through his fearful screaming.

"Somebody's gotta be." I replied, struggling to keep my voice as calm as it was, and refrain from shouting.

"At least it's starting to slow down!" He yelled, trying to sound optimistic about the whole thing.

"We're not slowing down," Tommy told him. "We're speeding up!"

I almost snickered at the irony as the tracks began to head up the side of the mountain.

Takuya screamed like a scared little girl before asking, "How is this thing even staying on the tracks?!"

"Actually," the snail Digimon replied, sounding just as at peace as I was. "I don't think it is."

Everyone freaked out as I felt the wheels lift up off of the tracks. My eyes snapped open as everyone fell out of the train cart and almost down the side of the mountain.

I wrapped an arm around one of the wooden poles making some kind of fence/barrier around the tracks.

I heard Takuya yell as he lost his gripping on the pole he'd grabbed.

"Takuya!" I locked my legs around my pole, and grabbed Takuya by the back of his shirt and pulled him up to me.

My legs nearly lost their grip on the pole when Takuya turned all the way around and wrapped his arms around my neck and held on for what seemed like dear life.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," Takuya said, shaking uncontrollably, probably afraid I would decide to drop him. He kissed me on the cheek as an apology. "I love ya buddy!"

I sighed in extreme annoyance and a very uncomfortable look crossed my face as I grumbled, "I could've gone my whole life without ever needing _that_."

Tommy snickered a little bit, and Zoe looked pretty pissed off. JP looked pissed that Zoe was pissed.

I pulled Takuya up onto one of the poles, even though after that incident I wanted to push him off the cliff.

"Come on heroes. What are you waiting for?" The snail Digimon, who were having no trouble sticking to the side of the mountain, asked us as if we were having a picnic in the middle of a cliff-free park.

"Are you kidding me?!" JP exclaimed, the tone of his voice clearly showing that he was either very pissed off, or very scared. "Hanging on the side of a cliff may be fine for you, but for us, one wrong move and we're gravel pancakes!"

Everyone looked down at the foggy landscape below us, all of them thinking of how it would feel to hit some of the rocks at the bottom.

Takuya and Zoe both lurched at me and grabbed on.

"Why do you people keep doing that?!" I asked angrily as I pried their arms from around me.

"Just how do you propose we get up to you?" Zoe asked hopefully. "We can't cling to walls."

"You never know," I mumbled to myself with a small grin on my face. "Melt enough of JP's chocolate and maybe we could stick to it."

A small cloud of dust floated into my face as they dropped a rope ladder down to us.

"Climb up! It's fun!" One of the Digimon told us merrily.

"I'm learning all kinds of new definitions!" JP said with a hint of sarcasm as I leapt up onto the ladder and started pulling myself up it.

"Oh come on." Takuya mumbled as he followed me up the ladder.

For a minute I started thinking that I was at some kind of stray pet shelter, all of the whining and whimpering coming from everyone sounded so inhuman. Most of it was just Neemon, but some of it was from Takuya.

Something like a cry came from JP, but I figured that he just told Zoe to go before he did, but forgot that she wore a skirt.

"You're almost there!" The most cheerful of all of the KaratsukiNumemon told me as I approached a window-like opening on the side of a slanted building.

"That's great! Hurry up Toshiku! I don't want to fall again!" Takuya exclaimed, at first sounding optimistic, after he mentioned me I could tell he'd looked down.

"You better hope you don't, 'cause I'm not catching you again. I think your spit is burning my face." I replied, not stopping as I raised a hand to rub more of it off.

I pulled myself up a little bit farther on the ladder and jumped in the window feet first. I looked up as something came crashing down at my face. I quickly moved a hand to stop it from hitting me, and grabbed onto the end.

I looked from it, to the hands that were holding the other end, and then to the owner of the hands, and found myself staring into the azure eyes of Koji.

I blushed when I realized I was smiling at him, and quickly decided to give a reason for it. "…Nice shot Minamoto."

He gave a small smile back, but it faded quickly when Takuya poked his head through the window too.

I let go of my end of the stick and Koji whacked Takuya with it.

I smirked when Takuya glared at me. Then he turned to Koji and stated rather questioningly, "_You're _here? Why the heck did ya hit me?!"

"_You're _the people these guys found to help?" Koji asked, seeming just as confused, or just plain annoyed, as Takuya had been.

"Papa!" Weregarumon cried as it jumped out from the back of my shirt and ran over to Koji and jumped up into his arms. Koji made a move to put him back down on the ground, but the sad, 'I'm gonna cry' look that appeared instantly on Weregarumon's face made him stop, growl in annoyance, and hold him again as the conversation at hand continued.

"Yeah, we couldn't find any food either." Takuya said with a bit of a nervous sounding laugh.

"Actually I wasn't looking." I said, glancing at Takuya.

He hadn't heard me.

"Hey," Koji said to Takuya in a slightly repulsed tone. "Don't count me in with you guys." Then he looked to the KaratsukiNumemon and continued. "These kids aren't going to be able to help you at all."

"I'll help you right upside the head!" Takuya retorted angrily.

I growled at him and said, "Help him upside the head and I'm gonna help you find a short cut off this cliff!"

"Can you at least give us a chance?" Tommy asked Koji hopefully.

"Thanks, but no thanks." Koji replied. "I mean look at you. The least you'll do is get in my way. Can I help it if you aren't up to my level?"

I didn't exactly feel this as an insult to me, mostly because Koji hadn't been looking at me while he spoke. His eyes had been on Takuya and everyone stacked up behind him.

"Hey, watch it stick-boy or I'll—"

"Finish that sentence Takuya!" I called with a snarl. "Let's see how close you can get."

"Gentlemen! Ladies! Please!" A KaratsukiNumemon tried to calm us all. "Much thanks to all of you for coming! And now, it's time to eat!"

"Alright! Time to chow down!" Everyone half-in and half-out of the window shouted, before plummeting onto the ground, but first knocking me forward and onto Koji.

"…I hate you guys so much." I mumbled to what seemed like no one, but had been meant for Takuya and everyone that was squishing me.

"You're not the only one." Koji grumbled to me.

"Maybe some good food will make us all feel better." JP suggested.

…It looked okay to me.

Takuya and everyone else all sat around a leaf plate of oddly colored cabbages. I stared as Takuya prodded at one of the cabbages and asked, "Is that what I think it is?"

"Depends," I asked him as I moved into the room. "What do you think it is?"

I moved over to Koji, who was sitting in the corner of the room eating one of the cabbage things. I sat down and leaned against the wall near him and closed my eyes. But they snapped back open at the images they had to look at. It was worse than JP in Kazemon's form.

"Here, you should eat something." Koji said as he handed me one of the cabbages.

"…Yeah…Thanks." I took it from him and was about to take a bite, but stopped. I smiled as I said, "A half hour long conversation with Takuya says that this thing's going to taste like a cabbage."

Koji just kinda looked at me for a minute, then grinned and said, "You're on."

I smirked before taking a bite out of the cabbage. I expected to be wrong, but was surprised when the leafy vegetable tasted like the real thing.

"It's a cabbage!" I told him, my words slightly muffled by the leaves that were still in my mouth.

"What? Let me see that cabbage." I handed Koji the cabbage and he took a bite out of it too. "…It tastes like a cabbage…"

"I told you it did." I said as I swallowed what I had in my mouth. "Have fun talking with Takuya."

"Come on," He said as he stood up. "We have to make a plan to get the KaratsukiNumemon's women free."

I gave the unfinished cabbage a quick toss back onto the plate as I stood up and followed him to a different room. "Let's see what you got General Koji."

I knelt down next to him in front of a map as he started to speak, "Grumblemon has the captives in a cave. It's right about…" He took a slight pause as he pointed to about where he remembered the cave being. "Here. We need to get in and out quickly."

All of the KaratsukiNumemon made a lot of scared whimpers.

"You're all such big babies." Weregarumon told them.

I glanced at Koji and mouthed the words, 'he got that from you' to him. He simply glared at me for bringing the fact that Weregarumon was just as much his problem as he was mine.

"Don't worry," JP told them, sounding pretty over-confident in himself and us. All of the Digimon instantly got an easy-going, happier look on their faces. "Leave everything to us! Legendary warriors!"

The expressions on their faces changed in only milliseconds. They instantly, after hearing JP call all of us the legendary warriors, became afraid, and inched away from us.

"What's wrong?" Zoe asked, making everyone notice the reaction of the KaratsukiNumemon.

"Guys," I tried to make Koji and Takuya stand up. "We need to leave. That kind of a reaction isn't good. Something's not right."

"You mean all of you are legendary warriors?" The lead of the KaratsukiNumemon asked us, still appearing terrified out of his wits.

I tried to shake my head to answer 'no', but Takuya looked at me like I was some kind of nut job and said, "In the flesh!"

I reached out to strangle him, but stopped myself and instead watched uneasy as the KaratsukiNumemon conversed amongst themselves. If anything went wrong, I was glad I was near Koji to keep him out of harm's way.

"What's gotten them all worked up?" Tommy asked, also looking at them.

"Believe me," Bokomon said, sounding pretty convincing. "I'd have trouble believing you're legendary warriors too."

"Heh, I bet they're in awe of us!" JP said, sounding like someone who'd just walked out of a salon and thought they were all that. His idiotic statement made my stomach churn with disgust.

"If they're so 'in awe' of us, then why the hell did that one just point at that pitch fork and look at me?!" I asked him, sounding a bit more annoyed than nervous.

The KaratsukiNumemon with the mustache cleared his throat and spoke up to us. "It's time to go to bed!"

"And I say it's time for us to go rescue the girls!" Takuya replied as he stood up and tried to pose heroically. To me, it made him look plain stupid.

"Oh, no, no!" I started to believe my feeling that something was wrong as they tried to hard to convince us to go and sleep. "Get some rest first, and then you can tackle the job in the morning!"

"Huh?" Takuya seemed to be at a loss for more come backs. "Well…okay."

"Now off to bed with you!" It made a small nod and one of the other KaratsukiNumemon led us to a room with a few beds on the wall, which I guessed was supposed to be the floor.

I shrugged, knowing I couldn't defy gravity, and laid down on the pile of leaves that the KaratsukiNumemon had provided for us instead.

I stared up at…whatever part of the building was above me as all kinds of weird sounding snores came from everyone.

I turned over onto my side to see Koji laying fast asleep next to me. Weregarumon was curled up in a ball and pushed up against him. All I could do was try not to cry out an 'aw'.

I reached over and gave Weregarumon a gentle stroke, hoping not to wake him up.

"You're actually pretty good with little kids."

I nearly jumped out of my skin as I heard Koji speak. I looked up at his face. His eyes were open, and the dim moonlight made the fact that they were lovely all the more obvious.

I blushed a bit and replied in the same hushed tone, "Right now, I'd say you were." I reached over and gave Weregarumon another small stroke before looking back up at Koji.

There was so much I wanted to say to him right then, but I couldn't find any of my words. I could only think of his name.

Koji.

The single word rung in my ears like silver bells. It made me feel so…fuzzy and…kinda like Takuya inside. That always hyper and in a sugar induced rush kinda feeling.

We were both still silent for a little while, before I asked him, "…You want me to give _you_ a good-night stroke too?"

"…Uh, no…" He told me, grinning slightly at the way-too-happy smile I had on.

"Are you sure?" I asked him, that almost Takuya-like smile still on my face. I reached over to him and touched his rib cage. "Is it because you're ticklish?"

He tried to grab my hand to get me to knock it off, and tried to hold back his laughter when I freed my hand from his grasp and kept tickling him.

I was nearly laughing myself; the look on his face was just so cute on him. The smile that he made while trying to hold back his laughter made him look so sweet and innocent.

I stopped tickling him and patted his side. I could tell by all the little giggles that kept escaping from his lips that he couldn't hold his laughter in for much longer.

He glared slightly at me as his breathing slowly returned to normal.

"Never. Do that. Again." He grumbled, glaring at me as his face turned a light pink.

I smirked at him with an 'I really want to do that again' look on my face. "Sweet dreams Koji. You're probably gonna have a dream where you're being tickled to death."

"Isn't that sweet?" He mumbled as he closed his eyes.

I snickered before letting my hand slip from his side. "Good-night Koji."

My eyes opened slowly as the feeling of flying was forced over me.

"I…I don't think I…sleep-fly…Do I?" I mumbled to myself as I looked down into the darkness that was the bottom of a cliff.

I was jolted awake when everyone started freaking out.

"What's going on?!" Zoe asked, looking down, even though that would give gravity an easier chance to pull her down.

"I don't think I wanna know!" JP replied. I was slightly surprised that his rope could hold him.

I tilted my head back and glared up at the KaratsukiNumemon. They glared right back down at me, and the one that seemed to like pitch forks hung by my rope. I didn't like him very much. Mostly because he kept prodding my rope with the pitch fork.

"What are you doing?!" Koji shouted up at them. He was tied on the rope next to me, then Takuya next to him.

"We'll give you back to your partner, in exchange for our women!" the one with the mustache told us angrily.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" I asked as I thrashed back and forth, struggling to free myself, but only managing to give myself a bad headache and the feeling that I was going to fall. I looked back up as the nausea faded and saw the one with the pitch fork poke at Koji's rope. "Touch that rope and I'll kill you myself!"

"You're not helping." Bokomon told me with a bit of a 'shut up, or we'll all die' look on his face.

"You dirty sneaks! Is that why you brought us here?!" Takuya exclaimed angrily, even though I could hear the fright in his voice.

"Hmph," the KaratsukiNumemon turned its head from all of us in anger. "I'd say it was you who were the dirty sneaks! Pretending to be kind, helpful strangers, when you're really legendary warriors!"

"And besides," the crazy one with the pitch fork added, while pointing it at me and starting to whack at my rope. "I don't like this one!"

"Yeah, like you're a frickin' patch of strawberries!" I retorted, feeling the nausea as I felt my rope lunge downwards a bit.

"Hey! Knock it off!" Koji yelled up at them as my rope lunged again.

"I don't understand!" Zoe yelled up at them, her voice wavered in her fear and confusion. "What's wrong with that?!"

But it continued anyway, not stopping to explain. "You're time for the games and lies are over. Soon you'll be back with your ally!"

"What ally? What are you talking about?!" Koji shouted up again.

"Don't play dumb! You're all in league with Grumblemon!"

Everyone's faces became distorted at the accusation. I thrashed around again, guessing what was going to happen next. It never crossed my mind to spirit-evolve and get all of us out of there while I could.

I stopped abruptly as a giant hole was blown out of the side of the cliff we were hanging on.

I cocked my head to the side as someone inside it began talking. "Must eat fractal code. Or bad things will happen!" I could barely understand his last sentence because of it being muffled by the cave walls surrounding him.

But apparently Takuya did. "Oh yeah! Says who?"

"Takuya, you enjoy life, right?" I asked him, my main point being about life.

"…Uh, I guess. Why?"

"Then shut up a bit. And come up with some kind of plan!"

The Digimon inside the cave, who I assumed had to be Grumblemon, continued talking. "That'd be me. And you say me too once you know who I am! You call me Grumblemon!" I nearly started thrashing around again when a brown gnome, troll Digimon that was Grumblemon came into view from the cave.

"Hey!" Zoe said as everyone stared in fear at him. "Look at that symbol!"

"He's…a legendary warrior too?!" Takuya exclaimed, mostly out of surprise.

"Give fractal code. Or else." Grumblemon told either us, or the KaratsukiNumemon, I guessed us, because he was looking at me.

I tilted my head back and closed my eyes. I concentrated and was quickly enveloped in data, becoming Raveamon in form again.

"You no want to know what or else is! Get out of way birdie!" Grumblemon shouted at me as he pulled a hammer out of the ground and swung it at everyone. I lunged at the end and grabbed on. I placed my feet against the wall and held the hammer back from everyone.

"You'll get that data when you pry it from my cold, dead hands." I growled at him, still holding the hammer back as he put more power into it to get it to hit the one in its path. Koji.

Grumblemon smiled evilly as he replied, "Whatever birdie say!" He swung the hammer out behind him, and whacked me into the wall above him. I let go of the hammer and dropped to the platform he was on with a grunt.

Loose rocks dropped on top of me and I could feel myself losing blood as Grumblemon raised the hammer to take another crack at me. But his attempt was delayed when Koji, now in spirit-evolved form, slammed his feet into him. They both swung up into the KaratsukiNumemon's home. Honestly, I hoped they destroyed a lot to pay them back for what they'd done to all of us.

I groaned and shook the rocks off of me as the KaratsukiNumemon untied everyone else and apologized. I still wanted them to destroy some stuff though. I stood up and searched the grounds for any glimpse of Koji.

I saw him hanging from the bottom of all of the houses, only hanging on by one hand.

"Koji!" I jumped down from the rock platform and, even though my wings would've rathered not, glided over to Koji.

I hovered quietly underneath him as I supported his feet, putting less of a strain on his arm.

He looked down at me. I told him, "Let go of the ledge."

"Have you gone mental?!" Koji asked me, sounding more surprised than afraid.

"I'll catch you. I promise. Now, let go."

He hesitated again. But then did as I asked him, and let go of the ledge with a bit of a 'what other choice do I frickin' have' growl. I caught him and wrapped my arms tightly around him as I moved up through the hole and let him stand on solid-ish ground.

"Thanks." He told me as Zoe and Tommy came in through another hole in the house.

"Don't mention it." I replied, looking over at him.

He looked at Zoe and Tommy as he said, "Okay guys, here's the plan. While we fight Grumblemon, you two go free the captives and get all of the KaratsukiNumemon someplace safe. You got it?"

"You betcha!" Tommy replied as Zoe picked him up and they both flew off.

Koji and I jumped up through more of the holes and met up with JP and Takuya. They were looking around, mostly looking at this single hole in the cliff.

"Where the hell is Grumblemon?" I asked them, hoping that I could get at Grumblemon for hurting Koji.

Takuya looked over at me and asked, "You want the truth, or do you want me to lie?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Koji growled.

"…We don't know where he is."

"You don't know?!"

Grumblemon burst out of another hole that he'd made at what seemed to be the call of his name. Takuya jumped up to get him just as Koji raised his laser.

"Takuya, get down!" I shouted at him.

"Are you trying to get shot?!" Koji yelled up at him, stopping the attack momentarily.

Takuya looked back at us, but in doing so got whacked by the hammer Grumblemon had again.

He screamed as he fell farther down the mountain.

"You should've let me handle it!" Koji shouted at him.

"I'll get him." I told them as I took a jump after Takuya.

I reached out to grab him, but he was slammed out of my reach by Grumblemon's hammer.

I changed direction and slammed a talon-ed foot into Grumblemon's face.

"Get over here you pain in the butt." I grumbled to Takuya as I grabbed him and placed him over by higher ladder.

I turned as I heard Koji cry out. Grumblemon had hit him again with the hammer, and he was falling.

"Koji!" I took off towards him. I grabbed him and held on as tightly as I could without squeezing the life out of him. The heavy rain had made his white armor slick. "I got you Koji, I got you."

I brought him over to the same ladder I'd put Takuya on. I hovered beneath them as they climbed up to Neemon and Bokomon who had taken shelter underneath another platform.

"Be careful!" Neemon called out to them. "It's slick!"

"You don't have to tell us!" Takuya replied, almost slipping right then and there.

"Thunder Fist!" I looked away from Koji and Takuya as JP shouted and rammed his fist into the side of the mountain.

"Ha! Nice shot dorkus!" Grumblemon commented to JP.

I was about to go and smack JP for missing such a simple target like Grumblemon when I heard rumbling and saw an avalanche of rocks come crashing down with the wall of water and slam into Grumblemon, knocking him down the cliff a ways.

"Nice job!" Takuya shouted to him over the roar of the rain.

"Yeah! It was, wasn't it?" JP congratulated himself.

"Hmph." JP looked over at me as I said, "Not bad JP. Actually pretty clever. But don't tell anyone I said so."

"Where are the captives?" Koji asked Zoe and Tommy, who had just seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"There!" Tommy answered as he pointed over to all of the KaratsukiNumemon.

They were all talking with each other and being happy.

"Must be nice to get back to your family." JP commented, reminding me that I had none. "Hey, what's that?" He shouted as large blue streams of data covered the part of the mountain that had been destroyed.

"It must be the mountain's fractal code. Oh no!" she exclaimed as Grumblemon burrowed out of another hole near the code. "Grumblemon!"

I couldn't hear what Grumblemon was saying, but I could tell that he was bragging about finding the code, and thanking us for 'helping' him find it.

But I heard him yell, "Beast spirit evolution! Gigasmon!" He was wrapped up in dark blue data. When he reappeared, he was bigger, probably stronger, and he'd lost all of his clothes.

As everyone stared at him in bewilderment, he spun around in circles, creating a brown colored tornado. "Quagmire Tweester!"

I knew that probably wasn't what he said word for word, but that's pretty much what I heard.

The attack pulled its way over to the ladder that Koji and Takuya were on.

"Koji!"

I lunged through the air and dug the talons on my fingers into one of Gigasmon's fists. It may've been his foot, because the next thing I knew, I'd been kicked in the face and collided with the wall.

I couldn't feel anything. Everything felt so numb and I couldn't move anything. The attack…I could feel my data trying to return me to my human form as I fell.

Suddenly, I felt pressure on one of my hands and I didn't feel the wind rushing past me anymore.

I struggled to look up. I saw Koji pulling me up onto some kind of spiky ice-thing. I figured it was Tommy when I saw the faded image of Kumamon's face at the base of the ice.

I tried to smile at Koji, but I knew I looked like what I felt. In pain.

"Really?" Grumblemon had reappeared in place of his other spirit. "Is that the best you can do with your spirits? That's pathetic. Even make pathetic look good!" He returned to his beast form.

"What's going on?!" Takuya asked, feeling just about as confused as everyone else for once.

"Rhino-boy has two evolutions!" Bokomon replied. He was either very astounded, or very afraid. I felt ready to pumble the little white fur ball if he was astounded.

Fur ball. Weregarumon.

"Koji…" It hurt even to talk. "Where did Weregarumon run off to?"

"…I don't know. The last time I saw him was last night. Do you think the Kara—"

"Mama! Papa!" Weregarumon popped out of the side of the cliff, and ran over to Koji and licked his face first, then jumped over to me and licked mine. "There you are! Why are you hanging from a popsicle?"

I looked at Koji. A confused expression was on both of our faces.

My gaze shifted back to Gigasmon as he spoke up through the rain, "Now I take fractal code in name of Cherubimon!" He let out an evil laugh as he sucked in the blue streams.

"No!" I tried to shout and get over to stop him, but my legs wouldn't cooperate, and I couldn't get them over the ice. "Get away from that!"

But it was all too late. The mountain crumbled and shook, knocking Tommy off of the side of the mountain, and we fell into a hole. I didn't know where it had come from, but it was a hole, and it was there. And we fell into it.

I glanced around, and saw that Zoe, JP, Neemon, and Bokomon weren't there.

I could still hear the KaratsukiNumemon shouting. "Our home! Our lives! Gone!"

I growled and mumbled, "Don't rub it in."


	8. Chapter 7: Trapped in Toyland

Chapter 7: Trapped in Toyland

I tried to cling to the sides of the hole as we fell, but my fingers couldn't find any grips. I slammed myself away from the side as a rock jutted out where I'd been. Instead of the rock, I whacked into a person.

"Who'd I hit?" I shouted, the hole still too dark for me to be able to see anyone.

"I don't know, but I think it was me! Otherwise Koji kicked me!" Takuya shouted back to me.

I looked down at the rest of the hole. I could see a light at the bottom.

"Is this thing ever gonna end?!" Takuya shouted as we were all flung out of the hole.

"…Just did." I shouted back as we fell through the air.

I expected to fall to my death, and nearly spirit-evolved to stop all of us from hitting the ground, but in the end, I didn't have to.

We all just sprung right back up into the air a few times, before I face planted into a green rubber…thing.

"This looks like more fun that it is…" Tommy commented as I struggled to the top of the green thing, which was apparently what it felt like. A giant rubber ball.

"You're not kidding!" I heard a hint of sarcasm, suggesting that it was Koji, but it still sounded a bit like Takuya. I concluded that Tokji must've been the speaker.

"Whoa," Takuya popped up from beneath one of the balls. I was tempted to shove his head back in so I didn't have to look at his goggled head. "Is this a big playground? And if it is, what needs a playground this big?"

"We're gonna find out, aren't we?" Tommy asked, there was nothing but a depressed sound in his voice. He clearly wasn't enjoying this. I doubted that any of us were.

"Of course." Takuya seemed fed up with the whole shebang about the evil person popping up out of nowhere, and then trying to kill you, and everyone around you.

I growled, not liking how everyone had suddenly lost their hopes.

"Come on," I said as I jumped up over a few of the giant balls. "We've gotta keep going."

"Keep your eyes peeled for Zoe and the guys." Takuya told us as we all looked around at the bright colored buildings.

"Something tells me they're not gonna be easy to find in this place." Koji replied as he looked around at all the colorful buildings and cat-toy-looking things.

"…Unless they're wearing blaze orange and are firing at us with guns…" I trailed off, knowing that that was one of the most unlikely things to happen.

I looked with burning eyes around at all of the pink and yellow and bright colors. Weregarumon apparently didn't like the bright colors either, having hidden himself inside Koji's bandana.

"Get out of there already!" Koji told him as he tried to pull him out.

"But Papa…the colors!" He whined as he gripped Koji's head with his paws and refused to come out of the bandana.

Koji growled and tried to pry him off again. But Weregarumon was stuck tight, and still refused to let go.

I looked away from the struggle as a whishing sound found its way to my ears.

"Hey, maybe that flying guy's seen them." Takuya said as he watched the little robot guy fly by.

"Yeah, you go talk to it first. If it eats you, the rest of us will know to leave it alone." I told him blankly, almost complete seriousness in my voice.

He glanced over at me out of the corner of his eye. "…You'd still get me out, right?"

Tommy took off running in the direction of the robot as he exclaimed, "A flying toy robot! Neat!"

"No, wait!" Takuya shouted after him. He ran quickly after him.

I growled and ran after them, Koji following behind me.

"Check it out!" Tommy said as we approached a miniature set of tracks and a lot of other random little kid toys. He sat down and started to play with one of the toy cars. "This is awesome!"

"Hey…where'd he go?" Takuya asked as he looked around for the toy robot.

"Don't sit down! We don't have time for this!" Koji told them, complete annoyance in his voice. I could tell that he didn't exactly have a lot of patience for them.

But Tommy just ignored Koji, and laughed as he placed the car on the track and watched it go around the track.

"Ooohh!" Weregarumon jumped from Koji's head onto the little track and chased the little car around the track, nearly falling off the track a few times himself. "Pretty shiny red thingy!"

"Weregarumon, we really don't have this kind of time. Get back in Koji's bandana!" I pulled at the tip of Koji's bandana and he jumped back up onto Koji's head, a small pouting face had found its way there.

Koji let out an annoyed sigh; I assumed he was back on the whole Tommy playing with the toys subject again. "What a baby."

Tommy stopped laughing as soon as Koji's words reached his ears. "I am not! These are just cool toys!"

"Yeah," Takuya agreed, but tried to get Tommy to see Koji's point in a different way. "They are cool, but this probably isn't the best time to be playing."

"Then when can we play with all of these cool toys?" Tommy asked a bit pryingly.

"Oh, is this the flying robot?" Takuya picked up what he assumed was the flying guy he'd seen and started to fiddle around with it.

"Maybe the cars can fly too!" Tommy added, sounding very hopeful for some odd reason.

"First Tommy, then Takuya." I looked at Koji, already having listed every other person who fell to the toys. "Koji, I think you're next."

I looked back at Takuya as the fist flew off from the arm of the robot. "Hey! This is cool! Super robot punch!"

"Not you too!" Koji exclaimed, still sounding annoyed. I couldn't help but notice that there was a hint of surprise to his voice.

"It is Takuya, Koji. What exactly were you expecting? Brain surgeon?" I questioned Koji with a smirk.

Takuya looked over at me with a very strange face—even for him—and started to stutter out a few words. "Uhh—well—I-I guess not." He snapped his head in Tommy's direction before saying in a bit more of a stern tone, "Put down the stupid toy!"

"Huh?" Tommy looked back at him with a fair amount of surprise, but then let out a few disappointed groans as he stood up and followed us as we kept walking.

"I wonder what happened to Zoe and JP…" Takuya wondered out loud as he walked ahead of me.

"I think our only choice is to head for the Forest Terminal." Koji said, his voice ringing in my ears as he walked behind me.

"Yeah," Takuya agreed, glancing back at him, but his eyes locked on me. "I bet we can meet up with them there. You think?"

I shrugged. "Either that or we wait around until they find us. But I'm not gonna do that."

"Hey guys," We all looked back to see Tommy holding a toy pig and a green balloon. I started to wonder where the heck he kept finding all this stuff. "Check this out." He snickered to himself as he pulled the ear on the pig and it made snorting sounds and the tail spun around.

Takuya was the first one to speak. "Hey, we decided this wasn't the time to playing around, right?"

Tommy let go of the balloon as he glumly said, "You decided?"

"Calm down!" Takuya immediately expected the worst to happen. "Don't start crying!"

Tommy looked away from him, clearly feeling a bit offended by the statement.

I gave Takuya a thumbs up before starting to keep walking. "Nice job genius."

"Aw man, now I feel bad." Takuya stated as he looked at the ground ahead of him.

"Why? Because of him?" Koji asked, directing the 'him' to Tommy. "The little baby has to grow up sometime."

Another disappointed sound came from Tommy after Koji's statement. I had to admit, I kind of agreed with Koji. Tommy did have to learn that we didn't always have the time to mess around. I just wouldn't have put it so straight forward.

"Don't me so mean. I mean, he's only a little kid for Pete's sake." Takuya said in a bit of a hushed tone, trying to keep Tommy as far out of the conversation as possible, even though they were talking about him.

But Koji didn't listen to him, and if he did, he didn't show it. He kept walking as he gave an uncaring reply, "Whatever."

"No," Takuya turned around and faced Koji as he walked away. "You can't just say whatever. Now listen, I know you're not used to having friends—"

"Takuya, stop—" I tried to get him to knock it off, but he was fired up now, and wasn't about to listen to my reasoning.

"But you're part of a team now, so you'd better start showing some support!"

"Great idea." Koji replied sarcastically. I made a move to stop him before he continued, but he kept going. "Let's support the useless kid right up till the point when he gets us all killed because of his stupidity."

"No wonder no one likes you." My heart burned in depression at Takuya's remark. And it nearly snapped in half at the look on Koji's face when he turned around.

Koji glared at Takuya as he retorted, "What do you know?"

As they both glared at each other, looking like they were going to be at each others throat in only a few seconds, I took a step in between them, hoping they wouldn't do what they looked like they wanted to.

Tommy saw the looks on their faces too. "Come on guys. If you keep fighting, we'll never make it to the Forest Terminal, and Toshiku'll go insane."

"And nobody's gonna like an insane Toshiku." I added, hoping that they wouldn't argue enough to get me to that level.

"Huh?" Tommy turned around as a clicking sound grew closer. "Hey, it's a train!"

Takuya and Tommy immediately hopped onto it as it stopped before us.

I looked at Koji with a 'get on the train' look on my face.

"I'm not riding on that thing." He answered with a bit of a scowl.

"You have Weregarumon," I told him, trying to convince him. "If he walks, he'll be too slow."

"Then you carry him!"

"You saw how getting him off of your head worked last time. You nearly tore your own ears off!"

Takuya spoke up with a grin on his face. "Toshiku, you could just carry Koji."

Koji glared at Takuya, who was still just grinning like a little yard gnome, then growled and mumbled and he got up onto the train and it started up again, "Fine."

After a bit of silence, Koji grumbled, a pretty big hint of sarcasm, "Some train."

"Some _toy _train." Takuya corrected as he looked back at Koji, who was facing me, the opposite direction of Takuya.

Takuya and Tommy both snickered.

"Yeah, very funny. Just drop it, okay? It's bad enough that I have to ride on this stupid thing." Koji retorted to their snickers.

There was a small silence, and then came the chanting, "Koji's playing with toys! Koji's playing with toys!"

"Hmph!" Koji sounded a bit more annoyed now. I felt kinda bad about forcing him onto the train.

"Sorry. I just wanted you somewhere I could see you." I mumbled, half hoping he didn't hear me.

But he looked up at me, a slightly confused—and kinda surprised too—look on his face as he asked, "Why does it matter?"

I looked down at my feet, hoping not to stumble and face plant into the ground as I tried to think of some kind of an answer. I never did find one. I blushed at the true reason as I answered, "No reason, it's nothing."

"Wow!" Tommy exclaimed as he saw a big yellow bear walking around on its back feet, a bandage on its chest. "That's wild Takuya! A walking teddy bear!"

"Maybe he knows how to get to the Forest Terminal." Takuya added as everyone agreed and jumped off the train. We ran towards it as Takuya started shouting, "Hey! Buddy! Teddy! Wait up!"

The lumbering thing turned around and looked at us with its scarlet red eyes, making me flinch at the memory of the color. It haunted me every night.

"Hey!" Takuya shouted at it to get its full attention again.

I stopped abruptly along with everyone else as it made…pretty much a U-turn and came running full-speed at us. Seeing the brightly colored on-coming hazard, I took a step in front of everyone, pushing Takuya behind me. But, it'd picked Takuya out as the one to go after, and just shoved me to the side. There wasn't that much I could actually do when I wasn't spirit-evolved, but I tried to grab at the bear even as it shoved me out of the way.

I hit the ground hard—harder than I'd expected a teddy bear to be able to throw a person actually—but Takuya got knocked down like a rag doll for crying out loud. I would've laughed if I'd known that it actually hurt a fair amount to get thrown down by that thing.

"I am still undefeated!" The bear shouted as it raised its paws in victory over Takuya. Then it let out a very, ehem, 'heart-felt' 'woo'. It walked over and picked me up off the ground and back onto my feet before continuing; "Now we wrestle for the championship!"

Takuya made a bit of a worried squeak, and I glanced around the bear at him, but just stared the bear down before gulping and getting out a few words. They were all strained with a bit of my own fear. "Why not? Can't be that bad…can't it?"

"Yeah!" Tommy seemed psyched at the idea. "I'm next!"

"Are you both crazy?!" Takuya asked as he grabbed my hand, then Tommy's arm and we all took off running in the opposite direction of the bear. It chased us, and it felt like a horror movie for a little while, then I noticed Takuya was holding my hand, and I realized that it _was _a horror movie. Or at least a scene. "It could crush us!"

"So," I tried to make sense of his 'logic'. "Running away from the thing is your plan?!"

"Yeah!" Takuya looked back at me as he replied, sounding a bit bewildered at my question, like I was objecting to his idea or something. "You have a problem with it?!"

"No, no, carry on." I said with a casual flick of my hand, like it was normal for me to be being chased by a big yellow stuffed bear with a zipper on its back, and being dragged forward by a brown-eyed idiot. Yeah, it was just like old times. Only, this was actually better. I wasn't being chased by a dog that planned to eat me if I slowed down.

"No! Wait! The championship!" The bear shouted after us as we continued to sprint away from it. "Oh, I get it! You wanna play tag!"

I was using a fair amount of colorful language in my head as we jumped onto a big wooden ship and ducked down. The bear—taking no notice of our getting on the ship—just kept on running, shouting about how we were really good at this game.

I poked my head up over the side of the ship and glanced around for the bear. When I didn't see him, everybody else's heads popped up next to me.

"That bear's dangerous." Koji stated, sounding completely serious.

"And you didn't even get thrown down by him." Takuya told him, sounding a bit upset that Koji hadn't been knocked down. And seeming to be a bit afraid that the bear would come back and find us. If it did, I planned to kick its yellow butt.

"I don't know…He seemed kinda fun to me." Tommy stated as he looked in the direction that the bear had gone.

"Fun?" Takuya seemed disturbed at such a statement. Or, at least more disturbed than he already was. "Are you nuts?!"

I was about to make a comment that Takuya was nuts all the time, and that he out of all of us here should know, but I didn't get the chance. I was thrown against the mast of the fake ship as it started to swing back and forth.

"Who's idea was it to hide us on this crazy thing?!" Koji shouted as he gripped the side of the ship.

As everyone started yelling, and Takuya asked if Koji would rather wrestle the bear, I climbed up the mast and up to the top.

"You know," I shouted down to them as the wind rushed past my face. "It's not so bad!"

"Just get us off of here!" Koji shouted back, clearly not taking this as your normal cruise. Not that I was, I just didn't think it was that bad up here. It was like flying for me.

"Weeee!" Weregarumon called out, sticking his head out from Koji's bandana, enjoying the breeze against his furry face.

I spirit-evolved and glided down beneath the ship.

It didn't help that the very bottom of the ship brushed against the ground. But nevertheless, I dug my talons into the ship, and tried to lock my feet in place on the ground. But the ship kept swinging back and forth despite my efforts.

I tried to grip the ship and cling to the ground with a bit more effort after Tommy asked, "Is anyone else feeling kinda sick?"

"Get us off of here before he loses it!"

"I'm working on it!" I called up to Koji. I could feel the ship starting to slow down.

"Uh-oh…" I could tell by the way Tommy mumbled the words and how they slurred that we didn't have much time before he did lose it all. Hopefully it would be on anything but himself or another person. 'Cause I would probably be the one getting stuck with the job of cleaning it up.

"Don't look in my direction kid!" Koji shouted after the mumbled 'warning'.

Takuya almost immediately after ruled himself out too. "Well don't point him at me!"

I felt the ship slowing down more as I could finally completely touch the ground and lock my feet in place. I sighed and fell against the ship as it finally stopped.

"I think he's gonna be okay." Koji said, sounding completely relieved that he hadn't been puked on.

But, I started to think differently when I heard a sickening belch come from Tommy, and almost immediately after Koji quickly shouted, "Get him off! Get him off!"

I slid down to the ground, leaned my head against the ship and returned to normal as Takuya and Tommy came off of the ship, followed by Koji.

"You gonna be okay kid?" Takuya asked Tommy, who was still looking pretty ill. "You want a piggy-back ride?" Takuya leaned over so Tommy could jump on his back.

"Give me a break, make the kid walk." Koji grumbled as I de-spirit-evolved, but didn't stand up from the ground yet. I felt tired from the slight lack of sleep, and probably would've fallen asleep right there on the odd brightly colored grass if I hadn't forced myself to stand up as their argument continued.

"Look, it's no big deal. The kid's not feeling well, so I'll help him out okay?" Takuya made sense, and I thought it was nice of him to want to help out. But Koji thought from completely different angles, which I also thought were good points.

"Oh yeah? Well what if you're attacked while you're carrying him? You'll be too slow to run away, that's for sure!" A small, slightly understanding 'oh' came from Takuya. I was about to speak up and get them to knock off the fighting, but Koji continued before I got the chance. "You're about the worst leader I've ever seen. You never think ahead!"

"Guys…" Malicious thoughts of joining the argument ran through me head, the image of all of them burning my mind and making my heart ache. "Guys, s-stop it."

But they didn't, and Takuya kept going. "At least I think of people besides myself, Mr. Definition-of-the-word-selfish!"

I walked forward, swaying uneasily from side to side. I didn't want to lose it and hurt someone. I…I didn't want to know how it would all end up. And to be able to not know that, I couldn't let it start.

"Tommy," He turned around slowly, still seeming pretty sick as I spoke to him. "If you want, I can carry you."

"Toshiku—" Koji started to make another argument, but I wasn't about to argue with him.

"Koji," I looked back at him, my eyes a pool of sincerity. "I will not be too slow, I can spirit-evolve faster than all of you," I gulped back my choking throat. "And I won't stand by and let any of you get hurt."

I heard a sniffling sound as arms wrapped around me and I heard Takuya say, "Do you want a hug?"

"No," I tried to inch out of his arms, but he'd glued himself to me. "But I think I'm getting one anyway."

Everything became a little more silent and hushed when Tommy spoke up. "I can walk." He said as he started to move forward.

"Are you sure?" Takuya asked him, making him stop and turn back around. I wasn't sure if Takuya was talking about me carrying Tommy, or him carrying Tommy.

"Yeah, I mean, I really don't have a choice." He replied, seeming completely fine with having to walk. I guessed that he wasn't feeling so sick anymore.

"Hey, I got an idea." Takuya tried suggesting another idea. "Let's go see if anyone lives in that house. Maybe they can help us." Oh, perfect. Just peachy. Another idea for us to try. And most likely fail miserably at.

We walked off towards the house as I started to wonder if we were going to be boiled alive and eaten with a side of carrots. I also wondered if I was the only one here that remembered that story.

When we got inside, I looked around in complete bafflement. We were entirely surrounded by candy and all kinds of candy-like edibles.

"Now I know what it's like to be a kid in a candy store!" Takuya said as he looked around at all of the sweets.

"And it's the best thing ever!" Tommy added gleefully as he ran over to a cart of cotton candy.

Koji stood with his arms crossed next to me as Tommy took a few bites out of a clump of cotton candy and Takuya said, "Well, I guess we could take some time to have a little snack, right?"

"Here," Tommy came over to Takuya and handed him a stick, "Have some!" Then he came over to me and Koji and handed each of us a stick. "Here!"

Honestly, I didn't want the candy. And I could tell that Koji didn't either. But, I didn't know what else to do with the stuff, so I just held it awkwardly in my hand as Takuya shoved the pink sweet fluff into his mouth.

"We do not have time to sit around here stuffing our faces with candy!" Koji seemed to be the one out of the legendary warriors that was striving to stay on track. From what the Senariomon told me, I wasn't one of the ten. I was just their friend. An aid. Just someone who'd been in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

Takuya kept shoving cotton candy into his mouth as Koji continued to speak. "We have to find a way to get to the Forest Terminal. We're not out having fun at a carnival or something. You understand?" I could tell that Takuya was doing everything but paying a hint of attention to what Koji was saying. "Are you even listening to me? Man you're infuriating."

Takuya pulled himself away from the treat as he replied, "What are we supposed to do? We're floating on an island."

I could feel the pressure fill the room as an argument started to heat it up. I could feel an actual heat emitting from Koji as his anger rose.

"That's another example of why you'll never be a good leader. You just give up. It's like you don't even want to help your friends at all. I mean, take a look at what you're doing right now." I could tell that both Takuya and Tommy had both looked at the candy in their hands and around them after hearing Koji's words.

"…I don't see you coming up with any ideas." Takuya stated, trying to pin the accusations and blames on someone besides himself. I was slightly surprised he hadn't pointed it all at me. What was I doing to help? Nothing that I could see. All that I saw, was someone in the way. Someone that wasn't needed.

Even though I could feel myself shaking, Koji continued, not noticing my constant shudders, "At least I'm not just eating. We need to think about the other legendary warriors."

Takuya seemed confused at why Koji was bringing them up. "Legendary warriors? What—what are you talking about?"

Koji explained in slightly smaller, more Takuya-understandable words, "What if the other four warriors turn out to be on the enemy's side?"

"But—"

Koji cut Takuya off from his statements and/or questions. "If they are, we'll need a plan. We have to think about the worst case scenario, not just play games and eat sweets, or we might not make it out of this world alive!"

I tried my best to stop myself from cracking open and saying that while I was still there, all of them would make it back home in one piece. If they didn't, I would swear never to forgive myself. But I knew I had to be part of this argument, the subject had changed from them tearing each other down to something that was actually important. "Koji's right. If it turns out to be us—seven warriors who can barely survive in this world—against those other four and all of the fans and followers that they have, how do you think we're going to do if we just wing it? Who do you think we're going to lose? Zoe? JP? Tommy? You? What, and who, do you think we have to spare? If Koji's right, or wrong, it's either we're weak, or we're strong. If we're weak, everyone's going to fall. And we don't get second chances here."

"Listen," Takuya spoke in a slightly hushed tone. "Can we not talk about this now?"

"You mean not in front of Tommy? I don't care if he's young; he's got to learn to face the truth!" Koji exclaimed, clearly having gotten his point out.

My heart softened as Tommy's voice came through weakly and quietly, his tone was sad and upset, "I'm sorry you hate me so much."

"I don't hate you," Koji told him, the sound of his voice ringing clear that he didn't know how to keep going to support that fact. "It's just…" He trailed off; making a small groan that told me he didn't know how to continue.

As Takuya moved over to try and comfort the saddened Tommy, I put a hand on Koji's shoulder.

He glanced at me as I tried to continue for him. "Koji's just trying to watch out for everybody..." Even I didn't really know how to explain it. I looked at Koji for some kind of assurance that I gave a good explanation. I couldn't read his mind, but I could see in his eyes that he was grateful for the 'word help'. My face lost its normal hue and turned scarlet as I gave a nod.

We all walked out of the candy building in silence. I walked between Koji and Takuya, mostly just to keep them from fighting again.

Tommy was the one to decide to break the streak of silence. "So, does…anyone wanna talk?"

"Fine. Let's talk about getting to the Forest Terminal and what we're going to do about the other legendary warriors." Koji said, the single sentence starting up another dispute.

"Ugh, you're unbelievable. I told you I didn't want to talk about it in front of Tommy." Takuya said, his voice still growing hushed and silent.

"And I told you that you can't treat him any different than the rest of us." Koji replied, stuck to his side of the fight. His voice was unwavering, and was strong. Inside me everything fluttered and somersaulted at the sound of it. It was the way—

I stopped myself from continuing the thoughts. They were so much better than the other voice. The deep, dark, and pitiful-emotion filled voice was like sharp nails on a chalk board. But Koji…

"Uh, guys? Help!"

I was chased from my thoughts as Tommy shouted out a cry for help. I turned around to see him being carried off by a dark, evil version of the yellow bear that tried to 'play' with us before.

"It's that bear again!" Takuya said, sounding slightly annoyed, at first hardly being worried about Tommy, clearly thinking that the thing was just trying to play again.

"No, it's different. It's looks all funky." I turned and stared at Koji. Out of all the words I knew were in the dictionary, 'funky' was not one that I ever expected to come out of Koji's mouth.

After I got over the whole 'funky' thing, I took off running after Tommy and the now black and grey bear with one freaky-looking paw.

"Hey you big fuzzy creep! Give our friend back!" Takuya shouted at it.

It stopped and turned around to face us before sending a black heart-shaped attack over to Takuya. "Heart Break Attack!"

Takuya grunted as the attack hit him in the chest. He crumpled to his knees and said, sounding pretty depressed, "What's the point? We're never gonna catch him." Takuya instantly burst into tears. Weregarumon came out of Koji's bandana and walked over to him.

He tried to lick up his tears and cheer him up as Koji asked, he sounded like he was talking to a little kid, "Why are you crying? What happened?"

Takuya sniffled and clung to Weregarumon as he answered through his sobs, "I just feel really sad!"

Koji turned to keep going, but the evil bear sent another Heart Break Attack over, and it hit him in the chest.

"Koji!" I ran over to him as he fell onto his hands and knees. "Are you okay?" I knelt down next to him and touched his arm, gently shaking his shoulder to get him out of whatever trance the freaky bear and put him in.

"What just hit me? I'm so sad." I nearly lunged back in surprise as Koji suddenly clung to me. He sounded so pitiful; I felt like I almost had to hug him back otherwise I would start crying like Takuya. "You get hurt so much, and it's all because of me!" He hugged me tighter. "I don't want to lose you!"

I heard Takuya suddenly stop crying, and Koji slowly noticed what he was doing.

An uncomfortable, nervous look crossed his face as he quickly let go of me and moved away.

"That attack is just so not fair!" Takuya exclaimed in a 'why can't I do that' tone. His tone changed to a more emotional and upset one as he continued. For a minute I thought he was gonna start crying again. "And now Tommy is gone. What do we do?"

I got up from the ground and started to walk forward. "Try to find it again. What else do we do?" They followed after me and we all looked around, keeping our eyes open for any sign of the bear or Tommy.

"Why do evil things always run faster than normal things?" Takuya complained, actually making a bit of sense. I had noticed that that was usually how it went.

"I don't see it anywhere." Koji told us. I couldn't help but notice that he was looking everywhere but at me. Probably because of the whole hugging incident.

"This is our fault, 'cause we were fighting." Takuya stated. I kept silent, not wanting to make them feel any worse by adding a comment that Takuya was right and they should've tried harder to get along, at least until could figure something out. I let out a small frustrated sigh as Takuya started to spill his memories out to us. "This really reminds me of…the time I lost my little brother at the amusement park. I'd never been so worried in my life until now."

I felt a little bad that he'd had to go through the feeling of losing someone, but I didn't make a comment.

"I know. Little kids are always getting in the way." Koji said. I wasn't sure if he understood that's not what Takuya meant, or he didn't care.

Takuya growled and turned around to face Koji. I could feel another argument forming. "That's not what I meant! Man, you must be the most selfish kid in the whole world! Two worlds! We have a responsibility to look after Tommy because he's younger than us. Don't you take care of your own brothers and sisters?"

Koji looked down and sounded a bit sad as he replied, "I don't have any. Happy now? See, I don't know…anything about having brothers."

"Well, why don't you just imagine that Tommy's your little brother? And think about what it would be like to be a little kid alone and afraid. Imagine that you could keep him from feeling that way." Takuya looked at me and asked the same of me. "What about you Toshiku? Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

I closed my eyes and started to walk forward. "Don't remind me."

"Huh?" This probably wasn't the right reply to have used, since all it did was get Takuya's attention all the more. "Why? Didn't you get along with them?"

I stopped and clenched my fists, trying to remember so that I could end the conversation all the faster. After the accident…after all that happened…I could barely even remember their faces. Let alone if we'd even gotten along to start out with.

I gulped and looked down at my feet, tears boiling from my eyes. I was glad that they didn't affect my tone, and that I wasn't facing them. "I…I-I don't remember."

Takuya seemed even more puzzled than before. I couldn't turn around to see his face without them seeing my tear soaked face, but I could tell that he had an extremely confused look on his face. "What do you mean you don't remember? We haven't been away from our world for that long."

"Takuya," Koji stopped him from asking more questions. I heard the soft fall of his feet as he walked up to me. "Drop it."

I quickly wiped the streams of salty emotion from my face before he saw them there. "Let's keep going. We need to find where that bear went." I took off running, Koji and Takuya following right after me.

"Hey! Wait up!" Takuya shouted, even though he was keeping up fairly well.

We'd barely run a few yards when that toy robot from before came into view.

"Well there's a friendly face!" Takuya said with a smile as he saw the toy. "Hey, flying robot, we're looking for a little kid and a big bear. Have you seen them?"

Apparently understanding Takuya's language, the robot pointed in a certain direction and took off flying that way. We all ran quickly after it, it flying faster than I'd expected. At least it was red and stuck out from the sky pretty well. It didn't help that it was as small as Takuya's brain though.

"In that creepy castle?!" I looked up at Koji's outburst, and tripped over a stone in front of me at the sight. There was a giant, pink and blue (might've been lavender, or some kind of purple-ish color besides pink) castle in front of us. What next? A sugar plum fairy was gonna show up and shoot plum-shaped bombs at us that exploded into glitter. The thought made me look up and check the sky.

"How is it creepy? It's lavender!" Apparently Takuya could tell pink apart from lavender. Probably because we all were forced to look at the color whenever Zoe was around.

"Never underestimate your enemy." Koji replied as they both helped me back up onto my feet, which wasn't really necessary. It wasn't like I was going to fall again. Then Koji added with a smirk, "Especially if you're Toshiku and there are a lot of colorful stones everywhere."

I scowled at him as we approached the castle.

"It's just so lavender!" I wasn't sure if Takuya was complaining, or just stating the simple fact that the freaky castle was indeed the color that Zoe seemed to have spilled on herself. I looked up as we stopped on the edge of the draw bridge and saw Tommy by one of the windows of a tall (lavender) tower. Takuya and Koji saw him too. Takuya shouted up to him, "Hey! Tommy!"

"Down here!" Koji shouted up to him too, but I saw that he hadn't heard either of their calls. "He can't hear us." Koji understood that too. "We'll have to go in."

I got an idea and suggested, "Maybe if I get up there, he could hear me, or one of us if I can get through the window. And if I can get through the window, then we don't even need to go in. I could just bring him right out."

Takuya gave a short nod as Koji said, "Just watch out for that bear. You can't get depressed when you're flying."

"Yeah," Takuya added, even though I could've gone without that image. "You'll fall."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." I grumbled before spirit-evolving and jumping through the air to the window.

But, I never really did get to the window. I wasn't hit by the Heart Break Attack like Takuya'd thought, but instead I felt a sticky burning on my back, and heard both Koji and Takuya call out my name as something heavy whacked me out of the sky and to the ground.

I looked up at what had hit me—and also had gotten the burning sticky stuff off of me—and got up from the ground as a gray Digimon obstruction—I thought it might be a giant toy robot thingy that was made out of Legos—lumbered towards me.

"Moon Beam!" I shouted, lifting my hands above my head as the bar of waving light appeared in my grasp. I dashed forward, jumped up into the air and jabbed at the monstrosity with the rapier.

But I didn't get to land the ambush completely; the Lego robot guy walloped me out of the sky with a spin of its massive arm. If felt like what running into a brick wall feels like. I pumped the air with a wing, flipping me back onto my feet to face the gray evil Lego Digimon.

I stared at it and backed up a few feet as it shambled closer to me. It was stronger than it looked, and it had looked pretty tough to start out with. But it was only a _toy _Digimon; a Digimon all the same, but still a toy.

I growled in annoyance with the thing as I moved my hands up again and waited a second for the weapon to reappear. I advanced on it again, teeth clenched in my rage. "Moon Beam!" I grunted and rammed the sword down on the creature's head, parts of its arms shattering into the little Digimon that made it.

I touched the ground again as the fractal code appeared. I felt the need to use a cheesy evil toy joke, but I couldn't think of anything worth using. I pulled my D-Tector out, and pressed one of the sides against the stream of data.

"Fractal code, digitize!" The barcode-like ribbons slide gently through the air into my D-Tector, and the evil essence to it absorbed.

I returned to my regular figure as all kind of colorful Lego alligator-looking Digimon fell from what seemed like the sky, but what I knew was what the large grey guy had been made up of. Sorta.

I ran towards the castle and pushed through the doors and into a long corridor. I raced down the long hallway and was about to reach a flight of steps when a little ball of fur hurled itself at me.

I fell to the ground from the impact as the thing repeatedly licked my face. "Mama! Mama! You're okay!" I'd pinned my eyes shut so they wouldn't get any spit in them, but I recognized the voice to be Weregarumon's. And nothing else in the Digital world—that I knew of—called me 'mama'.

"Weregarumon?!" I pulled him off of my face and stood up. "I thought you were with Koji and Takuya? What happened?"

"Papa and Ta-kun had to fight some meanies, and Papa said he was worried about you getting hurt and for me to go find you." Weregarumon replied, not noticing my expression change when he mentioned Koji being worried.

"K-Koji…worried…a-about me?" It was like the world had stopped spinning and had started bouncing up and down like it had had too much sugar instead.

"Toshiku!" I looked back towards the stairs. Koji and Takuya were standing there, Takuya already on one of the steps. Takuya'd called my name. "Come on, who knows what awful things that bear is doing to Tommy!"

Weregarumon jumped onto my shoulder as I ran over to Koji and Takuya. I followed them up the stairs.

"Hang on Tommy!" Takuya shouted as we neared a door at the top of the stairs.

I could hear fighting going on between Tommy and the bear Digimon.

"They're fighting!" I gave Takuya an expression that asked, 'really? How sure are you?'.

We burst through the door and into the room that Tommy was being held captive in. Or was supposed to be being held captive in. That's not what it looked like, and I think everyone else knew that too.

"Yeah!" Tommy shouted gleefully as he held his fist high in the air. "I win! Champion of the world!"

"Tommy? What are you doing?" Koji asked, sounding pretty confused himself.

Tommy didn't see our confusion, or the problem with the picture before us. "What's it look like I'm doing?"

"But we thought you were in trouble!" Takuya tried to make sense of the picture too, but his attempt didn't help anything.

Tommy just snickered as the yellow bear—which was apparently Monzaemon—replied, aiming to solve all of our confusion, "I know, I feel just awful about that guys. But this little trouper saw through to the real me and played with me anyway." He patted Tommy's head. "He's a good boy."

"So can we keep him?" Tommy asked, sounding more like he was asking us if we could put up with it for the rest of forever.

"Yeah!" Weregarumon jumped from my shoulder and ran over to Monzaemon. He looked at Koji and asked, "Can we Papa?"

Koji and Takuya let out a few groans, and I just kinda stood there with an 'okay, what do I do now?' smile on my face.

"Why can't we keep him?" Tommy asked as we walked out of the castle, Monzaemon following after us.

"Because," I looked down at Tommy. "He's big, and yellow, and won't fit in a bag."

"Ah, fantastic friends," I looked up to see a panda Digimon talking in front of us—appropriately named Pandamon. I assumed that it had met Koji and Takuya while I'd been fighting. The now purified Toyagumon were standing behind it, their bright colors and all. "To make up for their monstrous mistakes, the Toyagumon insist they take you off the island."

I smiled and nodded my thanks at the Toyagumon, who were staring down at their feet—I noticed that they had no knees though. Everyone else smiled and even let out a few little cheers.

I looked over the side of the orange plane that the Toyagumon had told us to get in so they could take us off of the island. I kept staring down at the rolling hills below us as Takuya and Tommy started talking.

Takuya asked, "Hey Tommy, how come you weren't scared?"

"Well, I'm not really afraid of airplanes."

"I meant when you were captured by that evil teddy bear."

"Oh," Tommy didn't seem the least bit embarrassed about his statements. "Well, to be honest, at first I was so afraid of him that I almost wet my pants." I swallowed my laughter as he continued. "But then I figured out that the big guy just wanted to play video games with me."

I smiled as Koji stated, "Only a kid could've figured that out."

Takuya looked back at him smiling and commented, "And you thought that kids weren't good for anything."

"Guys," the Toyagumon driving the plane turned around and told us. "If you look down, you can see the forest."

"Wow!" Tommy exclaimed.

"Cool!" Takuya followed after, sounding just as spunkified as Tommy had seemed.

"They're just trees." Koji told them, sounding disturbed that they'd been so excited over a bunch of trees.

"I disagree." I glanced at Koji before pointed over towards a clearer spot. "I see a few bushes too."

Koji turned and looked at me with an expression that stated clearly, while still remaining slightly blank 'do you know how tempted I am to throw you off of this thing?'.

I would've replied with, 'I can fly you know', but the Toyagumon beat me to the talking.

"And a special thanks, how about a little excitement?" He didn't wait for an answer, and just skipped right to the part where everyone started acting all freaked out as he did a few flips and spins with the air plane.

"Maybe I am afraid of air planes!" Tommy shouted, sounding more afraid than anyone.

When the Toyagumon stopped the twirling of the airplane, I shook the dizziness out of my head and looked ahead. I saw something down on the ground coming toward us at a pretty steady speed.

"Hey, guys, what the hell is that?" I asked, pointing down at it for a minute.

Tommy leaned over the side of the airplane and replied, "It looks like a boat!"

"It's Zoe and the others!" I was surprised that Takuya was the one to clear all of it up.

"Good timing!" Tommy added with another smile. Then he and Takuya turned around and looked at me, both of them smiling. I had to admit, it was kind of freaky.

I finally got tired of it, and grumbled, "What are you staring at me for?!"

Takuya answered, "Do you think you can get us down there?"

"I can toss you off here. Or were you expecting something that involves less gravity?" I asked him with a devilish grin. He scowled at me, and put on a face that replied, 'you know what I mean'. I sighed, stood up, then spirit-evolved. I picked them all up, Takuya on my back, Tommy holding onto Takuya, and Koji wrapped up in my arms (which I couldn't say he was too happy about at first). "Okay," I'd decided to go over some ground rules, mainly so Takuya would've screech in my ear. "We're gonna go fast, and it's gonna feel kinda funky for a minute, just…put up with it, and don't scream in my ears."

And with that, I nodded another thanks to the Toyagumon, and hopped off the side of the plane. Takuya did scream for a second, but stopped after I gave him a quick whack over the head with one of my wings.

I hovered next to the boat, moving along with it as it continued to sail forward on the tall grasses. I set everyone down carefully in the boat, de-spirit-evolved and landed on the edge of the boat. I felt like a moron when I tripped over my own foot and fell face first into the boat, especially when Takuya offered me his hand to help me up. I growled, but took it and let him pull me up nonetheless.

"You okay?" He asked, sounding pretty concerned about my face plant.

I didn't understand the reason for all the concern, but I replied anyway, "…Uh, yeah. I'm…fine Takuya," I looked away from him across the sea of grasses. "At least we aren't trapped in toy land anymore."


	9. Chapter 8: Animal I Have Become

Chapter 8: Animal I Have Become

"Whose idea was it to steer near the trees again?" I moaned as I wriggled free of the remnants of the boat.

"I think it was JP's," Takuya mumbled (he'd fallen on his head when we crashed, it had been hilarious, and I could hear in his voice his head still kinda hurt). He gave a bit of a groan-squeak sound as he tried to pull himself out, but got stuck. He looked up at me, an expression on his face that doubted I would help him out as he asked, "Toshiku, can you give me a hand?"

"Fine," I turned and stood in front of him. I could see the surprise in his face. "Give me your hands."

He lifted his arms up, and I grabbed his wrists. I gave him a hard pull, and he came out pretty easily. I doubted that he'd needed my help really in the first place, but it was Takuya, and he wasn't what you'd call smart.

He stood up from the ground, smiled at me and said, "Thanks Toshiku."

"Whatever Takky." I replied, turning to start walking away. But I stopped before getting very far, since I'd heard a small grunt come from the boat.

I turned to investigate as Takuya walked past me mumbling, "To-ku? Tosh-chan? Man, nicknames are hard."

I walked back over to the boat to see Koji trying to drag himself from the debris. He watched as I walked over to him.

"…Uh, do you want…help?" I asked, looking down into his deep, unfathomable eyes. I smiled as Weregarumon's fluffy head popped out from under his bandana.

"No, I don't need it." Koji grumbled as he pulled at the ground again. I watched from a few feet away as he struggled against the rubble.

"…Koji?"

"What?" He looked up at me, stopping his struggle for a moment.

"You're stuck," I stated, knowing that I was right, even if he didn't want to admit it. "Here," I wrapped an arm around his back to help pull him out, but he suddenly flinched and looked at me funny.

I was a little confused for a minute why; I almost laughed when I realized I'd poked him in the rib cage. "I'm not going to tickle you again."

"Koji's ticklish?" Tommy asked from a few yards away. Zoe heard Tommy's question and giggled.

Koji blushed with embarrassment. "No, I'm not." He grumbled, he didn't sound too convincing though.

JP didn't think so either. "But Toshiku just said she wasn't going to tickle you _again_?"

I cleared my throat. "No, no. I said I wouldn't _try_ to tickle him again. It…it didn't work the first time."

Zoe giggled again, smirked at me and asked in an annoying, girly, I-think-you-got-a-crush-on-somebody voice, "Why were you trying to tickle Koji, Toshiku?"

I blushed a bit, but shrugged and replied calmly, "Got bored, I guess."

Zoe looked a bit surprised at my answer, then she got a bit angry-looking and walked away unsatisfied. JP and Tommy walked away after her, who was now walking next to Takuya, who'd run into a tree even though it was broad daylight.

I returned my attention to getting Koji unstuck. I wrapped my arms around him—trying not to tickle him by accident (or on purpose)—and gave him a swift tug. It took a bit more effort to get him out than it had Takuya, but I wasn't really even sure if Takuya had been stuck, or if he just didn't feel like getting out himself after landing on his head—even though there really wasn't anything important in there.

Koji stood up after I finally did help him get unstuck. He turned and looked at me, his face still a slight embarrassed pink—probably because first, he'd needed my help getting out, and second, almost everybody thought he was ticklish. Which he was.

"…Thanks," He mumbled, but then his voice grew a bit brighter. "…Toshi."

I blushed a sparkling crimson at his words. "…Uh…Toshi, Koji?"

He shrugged. "Just a little nickname for you." He walked around me and headed after the others, leaving me in a daze.

As I followed after everyone, my mind was entirely concentrating on the fact that Koji had given me a nickname. I mean, Takuya had tried to give me one—who knows why, I would figure out eventually—but it just didn't seem like Koji to give a nickname to me right out of the blue.

"What are you thinking about?" I nearly jumped clean out of my skin when Neemon spoke up.

I sighed with slight relief that it was only Neemon as I answered, "It's nothing."

Even though his brain had been possessed by that of a rock, Neemon could still tell that I was lying. I didn't know how, but he did. "It's not nothing. You wouldn't be so deep in thought about it if it were nothing. Nothing is nothing because it's nothing, and nothing is nothing so…what were you thinking about?"

I struggled to quickly find something to use as a comeback, but I just couldn't think of anything.

Neemon took the opportunity to ask me about his own theory. "Was it about Koji?"

"What?!" I squeaked, making everyone turn around and stare at me.

My face lost all its color, and all of it was replaced by my embarrassed blushing. I moved away from Neemon and walked quickly past everyone.

I saw Zoe start to ask me what the squeaking was about, but I answered her before she got the chance to ask. "No, it's nothing. Now can we just keep going already? I want to get some kind of distance in before the end of the day."

JP was the only one who was against my plan. He panted as he complained, "I can't walk another step—"

"Then I'll leave you there." I interrupted, turning back to look at him. He glared at me; I wondered if he knew I was being serious.

JP instantly looked at Zoe with pouting eyes that sent a chill down my spine. "You wouldn't let her leave me, would you?"

Zoe glanced at him before smiling, and replying, "Maybe I would, and maybe I wouldn't. I don't know."

I opened my mouth and made a gurgling sound. Takuya laughed at the sound effect as I said, "Zoe, you're gonna make me puke."

Zoe growled in annoyance of my statement. She glared at me as she asked in an angry tone, "Why am I always the one you aim your mood swings at?"

I turned around and raised an eyebrow at her. "Mood swings? What are you blah-blah-blah-ing about?"

She didn't seem to mind explaining it at all. I guess it was just like a volley of insults to her or something. Or maybe it was giving her the chance to come up with something awesomely perfect to hit me with. "Because! When we first met you, you wanted nothing to do with us! Then you wandered off somewhere, and then when we got to Breezy Village…" She trailed off, a smirk crossing her face. She'd struck gold. "You know, I've never heard you snap at Koji…why do you think that is?"

I snarled at her, something flowing through me I'd never felt before. I mumbled, my voice gnarled in growls, "You wouldn't—"

"Awwww!" She smiled as she snickered to herself. "You two are so cute!"

I glanced at Koji to see his reaction. He looked at me with a puzzled expression on his face. I was glad that he didn't quite understand.

I scowled back up at Zoe, my face a mixture of red anger for her and a scarlet affection for Koji. I closed my eyes, hung my head and grumbled, knowing she had the higher ground here, "There's nothing 'cute' about it. Now can we keep going?!"

Zoe smirked, happy to have been the triumphant one in the fight. She walked past me and continued on the trail. "Sure Toshiku. Let's go."

When I figured that everyone else had gone on ahead of me, I opened my eyes and let out a sigh. I slightly cocked my head to the side when I saw a pair of white and blue shoes a few feet in front of me. And there were feet connected to them too.

"Toshi?" I looked up to see Koji standing there.

"Koji? I thought you went ahead with the others?" I pointed behind me in the direction everyone else had gone.

He shook his head. He stared deep into my eyes, making my face turn a bright hue of pink. There was an intensity to his gaze that I'd never felt before.

"What was Zoe talking about Toshi?" He asked, his voice a tender hush my ears had never heard.

"I…uhh…it's…it's…complicated…Koji…" I put a hand behind my head as I tried to think of something to tell him. I cursed myself for allowing Zoe to go as far as she had.

I couldn't be so careless about it. Sooner or later, Koji would put two and two together.

I was afraid to know what his reaction would be. But then again, maybe…he…maybe…

I was still searching my mind for some kind of an explanation when some thing puffy whacked me in the back of the head. It was bigger and slightly less squishy than a marshmallow, so that couldn't have been what hit me.

"What the…?" I turned around and stared at the ground. "…Not you guys again…" I mumbled, one of the hundreds of Pogumon sitting there on the ground in front of me.

"Guess who's back!" It shouted as about a hundred of them plummeted out of the sky, half of them digi-volving into Raremon right off the bat.

"I don't wanna know!" I shouted back as both Koji and I spirit-evolved into Lobomon and Raveamon. "But let's crush 'em into Pogu-paste! You with me Koji?"

"Let's go!" He shouted, leaping forward at one of the Raremon. "Lobo-kendo!" He slashed the cerulean light-sword into the purple sludge's head, just like he had the first time we'd encountered the Pogumon.

I slammed my hands together, the Moon Beam sword reappearing as it had before. It felt good to have the pulsating energy in my fist again.

"Acid Sludge!" One of the many Raremon—there had to be at least six; I didn't have the time to count—coughed up a round of the rotten-smelling, acidic flem.

I flicked it away with a bat of my wing before propelling myself at it, sword swinging out in front of me like a helicopter's rotor.

I hopped into the air, sword above my head and ready to come down in a swift strike. But my attack was forcibly paused when Takuya—technically Agunimon—came flying through the frickin' air, and smashed into the only thing that was actually in his way—me.

He hit me head first, the horns on his helmet digging into my armor. I expected to just hit the ground, but _no_. I collided with Koji (a.k.a. Lobomon) and _then_ we all hit the tree. Most times when Takuya came flying out of nowhere because he got whacked by something much bigger than him and rammed into me, who rammed into Koji, who ended up hitting the tree along with me and Takuya (that's a mouthful), we usually stayed in spirit evolved form—not that this happened that often.

I don't know why, but for some reason we did return to our vulnerable human bodes. Koji was situated at the base of the tree behind me, and Takuya was laying on my lap, trapping me underneath him.

I struggled to move him off of me and spirit-evolve, but something was keeping me from the power of my Digimon spirit. It was like some kind of undetectable force was tapping into my strength like it was some kind of fuel.

I tried to figure out which of the six legs were mine as the series of Raremon and Pogumon inched closer and closer to us. I didn't know if either Koji or Takuya were actually conscious, but I knew that even if they were, they might not be able to spirit-evolve either.

"Acid Sludge!" The Raremon imploded slightly on themselves before sending the giant globs of bottle green glop at us.

The Pogumon ran after the attack; I could hear their teeth gnashing as they shouted, "Bonsai! Get 'em!"

I let out a yell as I watched them run forward in terror. I'd never felt this weak since…

I stopped yelling and watched in terrified awe as the Pogumon jumped at us, but were kept away by something I couldn't see. There were distortions in the air around me, but I didn't understand it. The crazed Digimon suddenly looked at the distortions in fright, let out their own little shouts of disbelief, and fled.

"What's going on…?" I thought aloud. A strange sensation tickled the back of my mind, making me think that these things that were trying to help me…weren't…trying…to help me. I didn't understand it, but I felt that they were just keeping us alive so they could have their share of our data.

I leaned forward towards the distortions and growled, for whatever reason knowing that I was right, "What are you?!"

I felt weak again—almost as if something was sucking out all of the strength I still had—as I fell back against Koji. I watched in horror as one of the three distorted air masses moved towards me, stopping right at my feet. I knew I was looking into its eyes as a voice invaded my mind.

_"You cannot hide Toshiku…we see you…"_

"Get away!" I shouted, swinging a fist at the air, but achieving nothing. It _was_ air after all. But last time I checked, air didn't send me threatening messages, and couldn't protect me from psychotic Pogumon that were addicted to chocolate.

I fell against Koji again as all of the distortions moved away, not before sending me more messages though.

_"Linger in the good moments while you can child…we won't protect you for long…just wait…"_

A demonic laugh rocketed through my head, resounding and ringing in every crevice of my brain. Chills slithered down my back as the alterations steadily crept away.

Fear took hold of my consciousness, and my sight was swept away by darkness before I could see them leave for sure.

"Is she even breathing?"

"Yes, why would you think she wasn't?"

"Do you think she needs mouth-to-mouth?"

"No, and even if she did, I don't think she'd want it from you."

"What do you know—will you stop twitching?!"

"I'm not twitching, that's my heart beat! I can't exactly stop you know!"

"Is it like, ten times the size it should be or something?! Are you the Grinch?"

"…Am I green? When did I ever try to steal Christmas?"

"I don't know, maybe you plot about it in your spare time."

"Shut up, I think Toshiku's waking up."

I slowly opened my eyes to see Takuya and Koji; they both smiled when they saw me open my eyes. I groaned and touched my aching forehead. I was surprised to feel a wet rag there.

"Where did you find the rag?" I asked curiously, glad to see that they'd escaped the Raremon pretty much unharmed. But then again, we hadn't even been the one's to fight them off.

"You were feeling warm," I looked up at Koji; my face reddened as I realized my head was resting on his lap. "So Takuya went out to find some water, and came back with it."

I sat up and gave Takuya a questioning look.

He smiled at me before saying, "I have my ways."

"…Do I wanna know what they are?" I asked, removing the rag from my forehead; whatever fever I'd had a moment ago was gone now.

Takuya shook his head, the smile still on his face as he said, "I wasn't going to tell you even if you did want to know."

"…Well, that's an interesting thing to keep in mind…" I mumbled before standing up.

Koji stood up as he spoke. "If you're thinking what I'm thinking, that's something to keep _out_ of the mind."

I snickered at his statement; Takuya simply glared at him.

I started walking again as I said, "C'mon, we should catch up to everyone before JP gives more chocolate to the Pogumon."

Koji smirked, and as he walked beside me he added, "It's like a drug to them."

I grinned. "Yeah, we get there, and JP's gonna be rolling around in money. And I'm just gonna go ahead and shout, 'Oh my god, he sold it all!'"

Koji and I both burst into laughter at the mental image. It was after we stopped laughing that I noticed Takuya was gone.

"Koji, did you see where Tak—" I abruptly stopped when I turned my head to see that Koji had disappeared. I changed my question. "Koji, did you see where Koji went?"

I stopped for a moment and prodded where Koji had been standing; making sure that he hadn't been made invisible to the human eye. He hadn't.

I looked around once more, before shrugging off both of their disappearances. Takuya was Takuya, and would show up eventually, more likely than not duct taped to a tree. And Koji was smart, and a good fighter. He could take care of himself. But I worried about him a little anyway.

While I walked on, waiting for them to return, my mind wandered back to a few hours ago. The distortions had known my name. I'd never even seen their faces—or even those distinct abstractions of atmosphere—before. I grinded my teeth together, for some reason I was losing control of my temper; I didn't understand why they'd protected us, and then gone ahead with a threat. If they wanted me dead eventually, why not kill me now?

I knew what they meant by 'good moments', there wasn't much that they could mean by that. I was supposed to savor my time of freedom while I still had it. At least I knew a few things about them: one, they knew who I was, two, they wanted me dead, three, they planned to wait and let me suffer before they killed me.

How frickin' pleasant.

But there were still so many things that puzzled me. How did they know me? What did they have against me that compelled them to save me so they could kill me themselves? And why did they choose me in the first place? What was so special about me? Maybe it was because of how Raveamon and I were connected as one person.

"Toshiku! Toshiku!" I turned my head just in time to see Takuya run past me with an uprooted tree. And not just a sapling, the thing was a little bit taller than he was, and a little wider than him too. I couldn't help but wonder how he'd gotten it out of the ground in the first place. "I brought you flowers!" He exclaimed, his face a light pink but still beaming as he handed the tree—er, flower over to me.

"…Uhhh…thank you Takuya...This was…unexpected…" I know I'd expected to find him duct taped to a tree, but this was a little…different.

I heard Koji clear his throat, and I turned around to see him holding something behind his back. His face was a bright cherry red, and a sweet little smile adorned his features. "I got these…" He shifted his arm around so I could see what he had. "_Actual_ flowers for you…"

I flushed as he handed me flowers. I took them carefully, being sure not to drop any of them. I looked back up at him and smiled at his red face. "Thank you Koji…they're really pretty."

I hated the words I chose, but I was kinda drawing a blank. I could've assumed as much to come from Takuya, but from Koji…it was like predicting a blue moon with nothing more than a piece of paper and half a Popsicle stick. "…You're welcome…"

For a minute it was silent, and I just stood there smiling and blushing at the flowers Koji'd handed to me. I broke the silence as I mumbled, my voice not allowing me any more than that, "We…we should keep going now."

Takuya's face suddenly changed from glaring at Koji to a beaming smile as he grabbed my hand and pumped it up with his into the air, nearly tearing my arm out of its socket. "Well then, let's go!"

He was about to charge off with me being dragged after him, when I felt a light pressure embrace my other hand. I looked back to see that Koji was holding my hand, an uncomfortable but persistent expression on his still cherry hued face. "Back off Takuya…" Koji growled to him, but his face kept the same expression.

Takuya glanced back and glared daggers at him, but Koji didn't let go of my hand.

I could hear my heart beating in my ears like nuclear bombs going off every second. I'd never held Koji's hand before; it had almost heavenly warmth, and gave me the remembrance of feelings I'd tried hard to look over, but I found now that it was impossible.

My face turned even redder than it already was when I noticed how well Koji's hand fit mine. But I struggled to convince myself that my mind was just playing tricks on me. Though, no matter how hard I wanted to try, I couldn't stop myself from blushing.

"…W-we should…walk now…" I stuttered weakly before pulling both of them forward. My legs felt like Jell-O as I strived to move onwards. I didn't know why my legs were being so pathetic, but I had a good idea. My psyche was pretty much scrambled; first, I didn't understand what or who those three distortion things were, and second, I didn't really understand my mind's reasoning for making me act so stupid when it came to Koji.

We all walked hand in hand—me being in the frickin' middle—in silence for a while, before Takuya exclaimed out of the blue, taking his hand away from mine and flexing the muscles in his arm, "Wanna feel my bicep Toshiku?"

I face palmed with my now free hand and tried hard not to start laughing. I was able to keep a straight face as I answered, so he wouldn't keep asking like the annoying little goggle-head he was, "…Sure, why not?"

I actually had a million reasons why not to, but it wasn't like he was really going to listen to them. I reached out with my hands and felt his muscle. He was warm like his element, but he had a lot of work to do before they were out of the ordinary.

After I let go, he added to his previous statement, "Feel Koji's bicep too, even though I'm stronger than him, you should know that for yourself."

"Wha—" I stopped and thought to myself, _"Kami-sama…these people are trying to kill me."_

I looked at Koji, hoping that he had some kind of an idea of what to do now. He noticed my glance and said, "Takuya, we don't have the time for this. We have to keep going and get to the Forest Terminal."

"C'mon," I agreed, beginning to head forward, happy that Koji was smarter than me in more ways that one. "Koji's right, we've gotta get there soon."

Takuya let out a bit of a groan and ran to take my hand again as he said, "Yeah, I guess you're right, but I am stronger than Koji."

I blushed as Koji took my other hand again, ignoring Takuya's statement completely. I wondered why he was being so determined about all of this. And then the flowers; I couldn't help but consider what he would've done if Takuya hadn't…uhh…given the tree to me.

I saw something move out of the corner of my eye, and I reacted during that second. "Get down!" I shouted as I threw both Koji and Takuya to the ground.

I was about to hit the deck along with them, but something slammed into my head, knocking me head over heels backwards. I couldn't have been certain, but it had claws on its feet; maybe even talons like Raveamon.

As I struggled to get back onto my feet, the distortions reappeared in front of me.

"You!" I growled as I spirit-evolved into Raveamon. I flexed my wings, trying to give myself the appearance of the strength I knew I didn't have.

"Ahh, the angel of darkness in the flesh. Finally, I get to see the face I've heard so much about," The voice this distortion had was different than the others. It sounded more feminine, but I knew it was one of the three distortions that had come before. I gasped in pure horror as the twist in the ambiance faded slowly into color.

The Digimon was almost exactly like Raveamon in appearance; the wings had the same feathery texture, but were a bright lemon-color like a fair amount of her armor. Her hair was brown and short, only barely reaching to her black armored shoulders. There was a large golden circle with small spikes jutting out of it on her back; it reminded me of the sun. Her eyes were the same scarlet as Raveamon's, but she didn't have the blood-red tear stains beneath them. But there was a ruby molded into the armor protecting her head, and the symbol of her element was etched in black in it.

I was right; she was the warrior of the sun.

"No my dear," She said, gesturing to herself, and then to me. "I am not one of the ten. I am like you; a protector. Or, at least, slightly like you," She clenched her fists, and bright yellow flares flew out from them. One of the flares made it all the way over to me and burned my face. I let out a cry as she continued. "I am Sentimon, one of the three causes of death; emotion,"

She turned her head and looked at Koji and Takuya, both of them had gotten up off of the ground and now were in their spirit-evolved forms. She smirked before lashing the tip of a long serrated whip at them.

"No! Don't touch him!" I grabbed at the edge of the whip; sharp, jagged pieces of something that felt like glass dug into my palm, exceeding past my armor with ease, but I didn't let it go.

Sentimon merely grinned, tearing the whip from my hand as she taunted me, "Aw, and here I thought you had a core of steel, I would never have guessed that you had a soft spot…" Her eyes darted to Koji for a split second. "But he found a way to your heart nevertheless," She flicked her arm and slashed the whip across my face. "Now I've got something to aim for!"

Sentimon dropped the whip back into the pouch at her side, smacked her hands together, and as a loud echo sounded, and started to pull them apart as she shouted, "Astral Flare!"

As her hands moved away from each other, pure energy surged away from her and formed a little ball. But it wasn't little for more than a few seconds. After barely even five, the orange power was much bigger than all of the trees around us.

With a grunt and flick of her wrists, she sent the attack spiraling towards us. I pressured my wings to expand as far as they could, but as the attack got to us, it simply passed through me and unleashed its fury upon Koji and Takuya. They were both flung backwards and crashed into the trees behind us.

"Koji! Takuya!" I called out their names as they returned to their unprotected human bodies.

I slowly turned back to Sentimon, anger boiling up inside me, surging to the point of overflowing. I let out a yell and lunged at her, the moon beam sword once again in my grasp as I slashed an arm at her. But she simple leaned back and avoided decapitation without any effort at all.

I skirted away from her as she flicked the whip at me again, the saw-like edge colliding with my wing, ripping at the unarmored appendage. I turned to send another attack her way, but she slammed a foot into my face, the force knocking me off of me feet and into a tree.

I looked up wearily as the figure moved steadily closer to me; a face that showed her evil soul adorned her head. I didn't know what to do now. I wasn't strong enough to beat her; I wasn't even close to that kind of strength.

"Mama! Mama!" I looked to the side as Weregarumon ran up to me. He pushed my side, trying to help me up onto my feet again. "You have to keep fighting Mama! I know you can!"

I turned my head away from Weregarumon so he wouldn't have to see my scratched face. "I can't…I…I don't think I'm strong enough…To win this time."

"Then…then…then…oh! Come with me, hurry! I found something that belongs to you!" He told me, immediately taking off at a high sprint.

"Were are you going?!" I called to him, jumping to my feet and running quickly after him.

I wondered what he meant by 'something that belongs to you'. I didn't lose anything, and I'd never been here before. But then again, maybe he was talking about something that could help me keep going.

But I didn't have the time to ponder it. I jumped over a bush, my slight moment of silence letting me know that either I was keeping up well with Weregarumon, or Sentimon was gaining on me faster than I'd anticipated. When I saw a bright orb completely demolish a tree along side me, I guessed that it was Sentimon I'd heard.

"It's here! It's here!" Weregarumon called to me as I reached an open area where the trees receded from something. It had to be some kind of special, trees didn't do that for just anything.

"What is it—" I let out a yell as one of the Astral Flares hit me from behind, knocking me forward to where Weregarumon was. I struggled onto my hands and knees as my pain forced me back to my human figure.

"See? Look there!" I shifted my gaze to where Weregarumon was looking, and saw Raveamon's symbol imprinted on a small stone pillar.

I got to my feet and moved over to it, Weregarumon running at my side. "But…if you're right, and it is mine…what is it?"

"Maybe it's your beast spirit Mama. Or a Lego made out of moon rock!" Weregarumon stated happily as I bent down to get a closer look at the delicate carving of the symbol.

As I tried to figure out what it was, I shoved the pillar back. I lunged back in shock as a spire of pale blue light shot out from the ground. I sat in the dirt and watched in awe as a little figurine appeared inside the beacon of brightness; it was of a large black dog—a little voice in the back of my head led me to think it was a werewolf—standing over something and howling.

I instinctively pulled out my D-Tector and held it out to the figurine. I closed my eyes and called out as Sentimon emerged from the ocean of trees and Weregarumon ran off to find some place to hide, "Spirit!"

The minute figure rushed over to me, and was enveloped in a white beam emitting from the screen of my D-Tector before being consumed by it. I was surrounded by data, and sparks of electricity rippled through me as I let out a deafening bellow.

I shook my head as the data around me faded. I looked down at myself; though a strange mixture of confusing colors had replaced my sight, I could see some armor with the symbol of my element fixed upon it, and black fur wherever there wasn't any armor. Instead of seeing Raveamon's talon-ed feet, I saw four—two in the back, and two in front. My feet—actually paws—each had a set of sharp golden claws.

I stepped forward towards the stunned Sentimon, slowly getting used to walking with four feet. With each step that I took, I could feel the new power chasing away all doubt of my strength.

I crouched low in front of Sentimon before throwing my head back and letting out an ear-splitting howl. I returned my gaze to Sentimon before belting out a werewolf-ish roar, and snapping at her with my white jaws.

As I continued to try and attack Sentimon, I started to feel at a loss for control of the spirit. I rammed my head into Sentimon, knocking her back a few feet. I locked my feet in place, and opened my jaws as I shouted, the voice emitting to Sentimon through telepathy, "Innovative Star!"

I could feel energy welling up in my open jaws, before I let it burst from me and shoot towards Sentimon, hitting her with a two-ton force.

I watched as she was flung backwards into a large stone. She slid to the ground and I rushed towards her, snarling and growling the whole way.

Sentimon let out a grunt as she pushed herself up into the air and flew high above and away from me. I stopped and jumped up, stretching my neck to reach her. But she was a few feet too high, and I hit the ground again with a boom.

I let out another bark and I watched in anger as she flew away and out of my sight. I growled and tried to chase after her, but after a while of running I lost track of her.

My black pointed ears suddenly pricked up; something was nearby. I growled, my spirit immediately thinking that it was an enemy. I tried to convince myself otherwise, but something inside wouldn't think in that direction.

I ran in that direction, easily jumping over all kinds of rocks and bushes. I stopped as I jumped onto the path, running along it to catch up to whatever had been making the noises from before. I knew that whatever it was, it couldn't be too far away; a strange scent was tickling my sensitive nose, making me sure of it.

I stopped at the top of a large hill and looked down over the rest of the area in my range of odd sight. There were little trails of color, all of them having their own specific scent to them. One of them really caught my interest.

It had a distinct sweet smell to it that made my mouth water. I rolled my head back and let out a howl before running again, this time with my nose stuck to the ground, carefully following the scent.

I started to wonder why I was acting so oddly when I glanced up to see a little group a little ways ahead of me. I pinned my ears flat against my head and let out an intimidating snarl, stopping to glower at the enemies before me.

"What Digimon is that? She looks like a wolf." One of them with a large hat-thing on his head asked, seeming to be afraid of the creature that was standing in front of him. I sniffed at the air for a moment; he wasn't the owner of the sweet smell.

"Werewolf at that by boy," A little white vegetable-creature pulled a rectangle out of his waistband and flipped it open before paging through it. "But there's nothing I can find in here about it!" It exclaimed, continuing to page through it anxiously.

"But what about this page? It looks like it's folded over." Another vegetable wearing red pants questioned, pulling at the book.

The white one suddenly exclaimed, after probably checking if the yellow one was right, "…Your right! That Digimon, dear warriors, is Wereraiomon, the beast spirit of Moon. I see that Toshiku's found her beast spirit!"

"_Magnifico_! She's so beautiful!" A bright colored thing exclaimed, the vividness of the color stinging my eyes. I inhaled the air again, this time the fumes from the individual before me bothering my nose enough to make me sneeze. The intensely colored thing before me laughed at my loud sneeze. "Toshiku, why don't you tell us how you got the spirit?"

It took a few steps nearer to me. I growled, pinning my ears back again as I let out a sharp bark and continued to let the rumbling sound echo from my barred jaws. She looked stunned and quickly hid from me behind another one of the creatures.

"What's up with Toshiku?" Another one of the creatures asked, this one with a strangely built head. He took a step forward, beginning to talk to me. "Toshiku, what's wrong? Why are you—"

I snapped my jaws, a clicking sound echoing out from them as my teeth collided with each other. I lunged forward at them, making all of them jump back in fear and surprise. I slowly ceased my growling as the sweet scent that had grazed my nostrils before entered them again.

But before I could get the chance to find the possessor of the sugary scent, I felt a surge of power and anger flow through my veins, making me ram myself against one of the trees, hurting my front left leg as I did.

"What's she doing?!" One of the things that was already backing away asked as I slammed into another tree.

The white thing began flipping through the book again as it answered, sounding quite worried, and slightly astounded, "Toshiku doesn't have control of her beast spirit! It's too powerful for her to handle now!"

"What do we do?!" The blindingly colored paint bucket asked as I steadied myself again, this time ready to fight them instead of the trees around me.

I raised my head, my mouth open. "Innovative Star!" I tossed my head back at the ground, hurtling the large ball of power towards them.

They all yelled as they leapt out of the way, hitting the ground so the attack wouldn't disintegrate their atoms. I charged at them, but ran right past their fallen group, and rammed into another tree head-on instead.

"I've got something!" The white creature called out, the others crowding around him to listen to the supposed plan. "It says here that there's one for sure way to help Toshiku—well, in this case Wereraiomon,"

"What? Do we have to go up and pet her or something?" A strong, somehow familiar voice asked, a hint of sarcasm becoming glued to his lips."

"…Yes Koji, you do. One of you has to find this certain spot—"

"Well, where is it? Does it say where that spot is?" The strange headed one asked, glancing over at me as I stood up from the base of the tree, turning around to bark at all of them.

"No, Takuya, it doesn't…good luck!" It shouted as it and the yellow one ducked behind a few bushes.

_"I have to get a hold of myself…"_ I thought to myself as I struggled to steady myself on these four feet. _"These are my…they're my…I think they're my friends. But…" _I growled in their direction, my heart suddenly turning cold and ruthless. _"I don't need friends! I'll destroy them, and become stronger!"_

I crept back over to them, my sharp claws snapping stones beneath them as I approached them. I barred my jaws and snarled as they also walked towards me.

The sweet smell entered my nose again, and I stopped nearing them. I couldn't ignore the scent, but I tried anyway. The beings slowly got closer to me, being sure that they didn't make any sudden movements. Not that that would start or stop anything.

I took one step back as they kept coming. I barked at them, trying to get them to get away from me, but they didn't, and tried to pay no mind to my continual snapping and snarls.

I lunged back in pure surprise as they all jumped onto me at once. I shook from side to side as they all started to stroke and scratch at my fur, attempting to knock those clinging to my jet black fur back to the ground (two only made it halfway up my leg).

I slammed into another tree on impulse, knocking what I thought to be the last two from their grip in my fur. I stopped thrashing for a moment and stood still, my feet away from my body as I panted, trying to regain the power I'd had only moments before, at least enough for one more attack.

I ears suddenly perked up and my fur bristled as a little rubbing sensation behind my left ear flowed gently though my body. I dug my claws into the ground and let out a small, weak growl, but not an irritated one.

I was about to start to thrash again, but stopped when a soft voice said, "It's alright Toshi, don't be scared. It's just me, Koji. You remember, right?"

I let out a contented groan as I layed down on the ground, keeping myself upright though.

"…K-…Koji…" I stuttered, my voice coming to his mind through telepathy.

He jumped off of my back as data enveloped me, and I de-spirit-evolved.

I layed motionless on the ground, my eyes closed. I'd never felt so worn out in life. I groaned as someone flipped me over onto my back, or, at least tried to.

I opened my fatigued eyes to see that I had knocked Koji over and my head was now resting against him. There was a slightly uncomfortable look on his face, but it slowly faded the longer I was there.

I looked in the opposite direction of the way I'd been pushed to see JP and Takuya, both of them trying to figure out the flaw in their plan. I wanted to ask them why they'd even tried to move me in the first place, but my eyes shut on me, and weren't about to open for a while. I couldn't say I really cared.

I curled up close to Koji, pushing my legs up underneath his and wrapping my arms around him. I didn't mind; I was too tired to mind.

I was nearly asleep when I heard Zoe snicker and ask me, "Toshiku, you do know that you're cuddling Koji, right?"

I groaned before mumbling into Koji's side, "…Tired…Koji warm…"

…Not my shining moment…


	10. Chapter 9: Sweet Dream

Chapter 9: Sweet Dream

I glanced up at the sound of a Trailmon, and smiled as I watched it cross the bridge across the forests. I was in a surprisingly good mood today, even when I tried to recall all that had happened yesterday. And I wanted to live it up in it while it was still lingering freshly in my soul.

I still had one of the scratches on my arm, but it would heal quickly, and I didn't mind it being there. It wasn't like it was being anything like Takuya or JP by getting in my way.

I turned my head to face Bokomon as he stated quite matter-of-factly, making me wonder if there was anything that he'd ever been uncertain of, "I believe the Forest Kingdom begins just beyond that track."

"It sure looks big." Takuya said, looking out over the area with a blank look on his face. Though, he really hadn't needed to point out the frickin' obvious. I was pretty sure that we could all see that.

I glanced at him after slightly rolling my eyes. I used a very exasperated tone (he'd been asking how much longer it would be till we got anywhere near the Forest Terminal for the past few hours; honestly, I was sick of hearing him talk), "Were you expecting it to be the size of a sandbox?"

"Hey Bokomon," JP asked, hoping that Bokomon's answer would contain a small numbers and words, or none at all. "How much farther do we have to walk?"

"Three feet. You have to walk three feet." I told him with a smirk.

He gasped; I nearly laughed at the fact that he really believed me. "Really?!"

I let myself utter a snicker as I replied, "Well, you can walk three feet and fall over, then you only have to walk three feet."

"…Will you drag me the rest of the way?" I stopped snickering and glanced at him with an eyebrow raised. Did this guy have no pride at all?

I shook my head in pure pity as I headed forward. "No. I thought I made it clear that if you fell over, I was leaving you there."

Zoe thought this was the perfect time to bug me. "Would you drag _Koji_ if he asked you?" She grinned as she awaited my reply.

"Koji's…well…I don't know, but one thing's for sure: he wouldn't have asked in the first place, he would've just kept going anyway." I replied with a grin of my own placed up on my face. But there was also a slight strawberry red glistening on my cheeks as Koji's name started to resonate in my head again.

JP looked at Bokomon again, hoping that he wouldn't agree with me and say three feet. He didn't. "Don't worry; you should only have to walk a little bit more…However, more than three feet."

"A little bit more?" JP repeated; I could sense his brain (or at least the massive twitchy glob of chocolate between his ears) was quickly forming a complaint. "All these little bits are killing me!"

I heard Koji let out a bit of an annoyed scoff at JP while turning his head to see me attempting to jump up onto the log that Bokomon and Neemon were both standing on. I missed the mark, and my face smacked into it instead, knocking me back to where I'd been standing before. But now I was staring up at it from my seat on the ground with a burgundy expression of anger that I'd been so clumsy, and embarrassment that Koji had seen all that.

I heard a snicker come from Zoe and JP. I growled at them; they must've seen the 'incident' too. "Oh, shut the hell up." I snapped at them, getting to my feet and starting to walk ahead.

"Ohhh," Zoe whined, trying to make me see something I obviously didn't. "Calm down Toshiku, we're just kidding around. You don't have to be taking everything so seriously all the time and watch—"

I cut her off with a snarl; spinning around on my heel. I gave them a fierce look before saying, the same rage scorching my tongue as the words spilled from my mouth, "If I don't keep an eye on you, who do you think will?! Sentimon or those other things?! Ha! I doubt it! They'll keep an eye on you after you're one of the stiffs!"

I was about to turn and leave it at that, let those words smolder in their minds for a little while, but I stopped when something tugged on the back of my shirt. I glanced back to see Neemon, but he pointed from himself to Bokomon.

Bokomon pulled out his green book before asking me, curiosity all over his tone and his statements, "Toshiku my dear, what did you call that Digimon? I've never heard of it before. Why, I've never even seen something with a name close to it."

I looked away, closing my eyes as I remembered the pain of the serrated whip slashing across my face. "I said Sentimon. She called herself one of the three causes of death, specifically emotion," I glanced back at Bokomon, hearing him suddenly close the book. "I know they chose a stupid name for their little trio, but didn't you find anything?"

"My dear girl," His tone told me that he'd either found something bad, or had found nothing at all. I prayed to _Kamisama_ that it was just something bad. "There's nothing written here about a creature called Sentimon," He looked at everyone else and continued with a few questions supporting that I didn't know what I was talking about. "Have any of you children seen this Sentimon?"

I rested my gaze immediately on Takuya and Koji; they'd been there when Sentimon had first shown up. But my confidence was quickly decimated when I saw them shake their heads.

I was confused for a moment at their reason for denying that they knew who she was, but then I remembered that they'd been hit by that Astral Flare. Maybe that had kept all chance of them remembering her at bay in their minds.

I was about to give that reason, but JP cut in before I could, his suggestion making my anger blaze back into life. He gave a sly smile as he said, "Maybe you were just dreaming Toshiku; you tend to do that."

I snarled and snapped back at him, my voice raising with the anger of their disbelief, and the remembrance of the pain and everything Sentimon had said to me, "Do you really think I could've dreamt that pain?! Dreamt that the only reason I got my beast spirit was to defend Takuya and Koji, and save my own insignificant life?!" I gripped JP's jumpsuit in my fists and slammed him into a tree.

I growled, sounding just like Wereraiomon as I continued. "I don't care if you don't trust me. You can think of me as an enemy for all I care! But if you know anything about me, know this: I wouldn't lie about something that was a threat to you people. Do you think a guardian would lie to the person they're watching over?" I let go of him and hurried to get away from their bewildered eyes.

"No," I finished, my voice quiet, but tense and still filled with rage. "They wouldn't…" I stopped, thinking over what I'd said for a minute before adding another thing I might need to bring up later on. "…Unless they had to."

I halted for a moment, suddenly wondering exactly how they'd reacted to that outburst. I glanced back at them to see completely disorientated expressions on all of their faces, even on Bokomon and Neemon's. I could see that my words had struck them while they were unprepared.

I cleared my throat before quietly stating, forcing them out of the trance that my outburst had put them in, "We…we have to keep going. I think we should travel for at least a little bit longer."

Takuya snapped out of his little obscure moment immediately, and merrily said, snapping the others out of their trances as well, "C'mon, I'll race you guys to…to…over there! One, two, three…go!"

I let out a small sigh as they ran past me. I was glad that it had passed through one ear and went directly out the other. That meant that Zoe wouldn't start saying that I had to tell them stuff like that more often, and that I shouldn't bottle everything up, otherwise that would happen again.

I was about to turn and follow them, when Koji called out to me, "Toshi," He walked up to me; I could hear his soft footfalls grace the grass beneath them as he approached me. I felt the illumination of his touch as he set a hand on my shoulder, and a comforting serenity passed through me for mere seconds before my tempted soul pushed the comfort away. "Are you okay?"

I instantly shrugged his hand off, if he didn't know about Sentimon now, maybe it was best that he didn't know about them at all. I replied quickly, trying to force out a happier tone than what I already had. But I only made myself sound angry with him. "Yeah, I'm fine. Nothing's wrong."

I was about to walk away, when I stopped, knowing in my heart that that's not what I wanted to do. So, for once, I didn't let shadows control my actions. I didn't need it to now.

I reached back and grasped his hand in mine for a moment; I couldn't help but wonder about the way it fit mine the way it did, and the more I held it, the easier the reason for this thought would be to figure out—and besides, his warm presence made me feel a strange kind of harmony. My face turned an intense shade of ruby as I felt his hand reassuringly grip mine back.

"I'm sorry…I-I'm just…" I sighed, knowing that if I started with what I was, I would never stop, and I would more likely than not end up asking Koji who he thought I was. Because honestly, I didn't understand myself.

Everything went silent for a minute, and we just stood there. Me holding his hand, trying to think of what to tell him, while he stood a little ways behind me, awaiting my response.

"It's okay Toshi…" Koji told me; I found myself gently squeezing his hand, and blushed before letting go of it. My arms fell back to my sides as Koji walked forward, looking tenderly into my eyes as he continued in a whisper-soft tone, "If you ever want to talk, you should know…I'll listen."

I could feel my face growing increasingly warm as it reddened. I shyly shifted my gaze away from his pretty beryl eyes. I could feel my knees shaking under me, threatening to make me look like an idiot and buckle beneath me.

I looked back up at him as we headed forward to catch up to everyone else. "Thank you, Koji…I…that…" I let out a small sigh as I started forward, realizing I didn't know any way to really express how I felt about him right then. Or anytime. "Just…thanks…"

We walked side-by-side back to everyone else in an undisturbed yet serene silence.

"Wait up! I know I said I'd race you, but that didn't mean you had to run faster than me!" Takuya called to Zoe, Bokomon, and Neemon as he tried to pass them.

Weregarumon was riding on Takuya's head, apparently having the time of his life up there. "Weeeeeeeee! Faster Ta-kun, faster!"

"I'm working on it!" He called back up to the happy wolf-cub Digimon, striving to run a little bit faster, not only for the entertainment of the little guy, but also so he had at least a slight bit of dignity left.

I passed JP and Tommy; both of them were starting to lag behind like the slackers we all knew they were. I let out a knowing, but annoyed sigh. I could just tell that one—or both—of them was going to complain about something. I'd been around both of them enough now to be able to guess when they thought they'd 'worked' enough for the day.

That time of the day…was now. JP was the first to start the routine this time. "Man, isn't it time for a dinner break? I'm wasting away here!"

I glanced back at him before commenting, "You're still there, and you haven't been reduced to dust or close to it yet. We can keep going for a while longer."

"We didn't even get any breakfast yet!" Tommy added to the complaint, taking JP's side in this one. But, I couldn't say that wasn't out of the usual stopping routine though.

I put my hands in my pockets and listened as Takuya gave in to their whining. "I think we'd better stop here and make camp."

Zoe supported their idea to stop, saying, "It's been a long day for all of us."

I let out a small sigh before shrugging; Koji beat me to the talking though. "Yeah, whatever." He grumbled, his tone letting me know he was aggravated that we hadn't gotten any farther than we had today.

I would've tried to convince everyone to go at least for a little bit farther, but the sun was starting to convince me to stop by itself. Already it was setting in the sky, making it turn all kinds of vivid, blazing colors. And honestly, I was still a bit out of it after the beast spirit knocking all the sense I thought I had right back out of me, making stopping for the night sound fairly pleasant.

I glanced back at Tommy and JP from the corner of my eye as Tommy asked, sounding slightly surprised, "We're stopping?"

I mentally rolled my eyes as JP also decided to ask a stupid question (I know there is no such thing as a stupid question, but that depends on who you're talking about), "Does that mean I get to eat, and lay down, and…eat!?"

"Yeah," I said, turning around to smirk at him. "You can go find a wood chip, or maybe whatever some other Digimon left behind."

"That depends," JP said, glad that I'd said something he could retaliate. "What did they leave behind?"

I looked at him for a moment, an eyebrow raised. I wondered if I should really say what I had in mind. But I just smirked again before stating, not really caring right then if I shouldn't have added it, "Their crap, what else do you really think they'd leave?"

"Hey!" I snickered as he started to shout at me. I'd obviously crossed a line by ripping on him using his love of food. "That was completely uncalled for!"

I turned and continued to grin, I didn't know why, but I couldn't get a hold of myself. I couldn't stop. "That was _unavoidable_. You ran right into that snare of words!"

JP growled, I guess I'd pushed him over an edge. I just smirked all the more as he made a move towards me. Zoe took a step in front of me to stop JP, but I shoved her out of the way as I said mockingly, "Let him try."

_"Stop, Toshiku, get a frickin' hold of yourself. You just told them that you—" _I stopped my thoughts and instead told myself something that would reassure me that I should let the shadow have a hold of my heart and soul for a moment. _"I didn't tell them I wouldn't hurt them. I just said I wouldn't lie. And besides, I can stop anytime I want. Darkness…"_ My thoughts stopped as my pupils dilated, enveloping my entire iris in black. It felt like all of my sensible emotions were being drained out of me…like a faucet draws out the water through a pipe. _"Darkness…is all that I am. My heart is filled to the point of over flowing with it; my soul a basin for pure evil. And pure evil alone."_

JP wrenched a hand back to swing his fist at me, but I knew he wouldn't go through with it. He was weak; I would fight him now, and he would fall.

I tried to stop myself, but now not only my mind, but my whole body was crammed with the breath of dusk; I reached into my pocket, and pulled out my D-Tector. I could feel something pulling at the back of my mind, pleading with the darkness to let me go, but my body felt too numb right now for me to back it up and stop.

Before I knew what the hell I was doing, I'd spirit-evolved into Wereraiomon. I let out a horrendous roar before snapping my jaws, my pearl-white teeth clicking. I growled before slamming my muzzle into JP, knocking him against a tree with barely any of my strength.

He glared at me before pulling out his own D-Tector. He spirit-evolved to his pip-squeak of a spirit as he shouted at me, "Now…you're going to get it!"

I uttered a growl-like laugh; I doubted that he could harm me. All that zappy little bug could really do was maybe cause my fur to puff out weird.

"Thunder Fist!" JP swung his fist back as he sped towards me, sparks of electricity shooting out from his clenched fist.

"Show that pooch who's dominant JP!" I heard Zoe call to him; the idiotic name she'd used to refer to me sent rage flying through my veins.

I lunged at JP, grabbing onto him and tossing my head around as if he were a chew toy. I wasn't going to use an attack now. I would wait until he was weak, and in pain. Then, and only then, would I kill him.

He grunted as he reached over and grasped one of my razor sharp canine teeth. It—being one of my canines in the first place—was larger than his fist by a hell of a lot.

My eyes shot open wide and I yelped in agony as electricity rippled through my bones, initially from my jaw line. I heard JP shout as I stamped the ground to try to recenter the pain, "Thunder Fist!"

I continued to cry out as more electricity flew through me; I could feel it piercing my veins inside. I squeezed my still dilated eyes shut and flung my head to the side, throwing him out of my mouth.

JP hit the ground with a thud, but got up after a bit of a struggle. He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving. I knew he was in a lot of pain; I could sense it. I grinned with pure blackness tainting my animal-smile.

I took a long step forward, lowering my head as I did. I crouched low, ready to pounce and maul him. I paused for a small moment as Tommy grabbed his arm and tried to pull him back.

"What are you doing?!" JP shouted as I made another move towards them, taking my time and letting their fear set in.

Tears started to stream down Tommy's face as he cried out, "Don't hurt Toshiku! She doesn't know what she's doing! Can't you see her eyes? The color is gone!"

I was about to lunge at them, but halted when something clutched my muzzle. I knew the sweet scent, but I growled nevertheless, threatening to throw my mouth back open and bite.

But it didn't let me go; he just clutched my muzzle tighter and spoke into my fur, "Toshi, please…" Inside my heart felt flooded as I recognized the voice to be Koji's. But not with regular emotions like blankness and ordinary happiness, but the brightest ones I had in me.

I felt him bury his face in my fur as he said, "Please…don't let it control you. You didn't let it in before; I know darkness isn't in you. You're kind, and—"

I let out another growl; I didn't know how much longer I could go without unwillingly hurting him. It was the last thing I wanted, but the beast spirit and darkness combined were too much for me. Heck, the beast spirit by itself was far stronger than I was meant to handle. I couldn't help but wonder if I'd even been ready when I got it.

I knew he heard my snarl, but he still didn't let go. He continued, his voice quiet, but emotionally concentrated, "And I know…you won't hurt me. I know it."

"…K-…Koji?" I questioned, my now tattered soul comforted by the sound of his voice, and his warm skin against my black fur.

Koji nodded, unwrapping his arms from around my muzzle, but keeping one hand in its place. He reached back and rubbed behind my ear as he gently told me, "Yeah, it's me. You know that."

I felt the rest of my senses return to me with the force of a flood as I de-spirit-evolved. Strength didn't return to me as fast though, like it was considering whether or not I still deserved to have it. I hung my aching head as I thought, _"I don't want it back…"_

But my strength returned even though I hated that it was mine, and the fact I didn't know how to get rid of it—or at the very least control it—made everything that much worse.

I fell backwards onto the ground, but stayed upright. I just sat there on the ground; my eyes squeezed shut, and my head resting on my bent knees. I didn't want to open my eyes, I just wanted to die. I knew I didn't deserve all of these second chances I was getting. Why wouldn't _Kamisama_ just give them to someone worthwhile?

I let out a weak cry as JP—now back to his less bug-like form—grabbed me by the back of the shirt, and forced me back up onto my feet. I grunted as he slammed me up against a tree, his hand now at my neck.

I tried to claw at his wrist and get him away from me, but I still didn't have enough of my strength back.

I let my hands drop back down to my sides as he shook me with increasing anger as he shouted, "Why did you do that?! Why were you trying to kill me?!"

I replied with silence. I didn't have a good answer. I had one, but I doubted that they'd understand. And besides, I didn't want to know why I was trying to hurt him. What I wanted to know, was what made me stop.

My silence obviously just pissed him off all the more. He slammed me into the tree again, knocking the air out of my lungs and starting to crush my throat before shouting again, "Why can't you get a hold of that stupid spirit of yours?! Why do you always try to kill everyone with it?! Why—"

"Stop it JP!" Koji shouted, Tommy's voice ringing in with it. Koji stepped forward, anger in every step. I was surprised to learn that it wasn't for me, or for what I'd done. "Toshiku didn't mean to do that. And besides, if she was really trying to kill you, she would've when she had you in her teeth the first time," He looked straight into my eyes, like he was reading my thoughts through my closed, miserable eyes.

He looked back at JP, his anger rekindling at the sight his eyes beheld. "I saw her fighting the urge to snap all of your bones in half, you're just lucky that she wanted to make it last longer. It might've been for the wrong reason, but it worked out for the better."

Everything was silent for a while; and I could hear the silence telling me to speak now. I opened my mouth for a second, but only a small croak came out. I didn't want to have to say anything, but I didn't see any other way of getting JP off of me.

"I…I-I'll…" I stuttered, not so good with apologies _or_ cheering people up. This time, I had to practice with apologies. I gulped before forcing the rest out; I didn't want to. To me, apologies were a sign of the heart, and shouldn't be given out whenever they fit. "I'll try…not to do it again…"

I slowly opened my eyes as the pressure around my neck lessened, and finally was gone. JP had backed off, accepting my this-really-isn't-an-apology-but-if-you-take-it-that-way-whoop-dee-frickin'-doo apology, and almost instantly everyone dismissed most of what had happened without much more thought.

Zoe seemed to think that now would be a good time to bring up the announcement of her discovery. "Look what I found!" She exclaimed, holding a light green apple up in the air. "I hope it's edible."

Bokomon took one look at it before telling everyone right off the top of his head, like his eyes were some kind of encyclopedia in themselves, "That's a meat apple."

"Meat apple?" Everyone repeated. I was starting to wonder if they needed to clean their ears out. And how big of a swab they might need.

"Yes," Bokomon replied, not seeming to care that everyone would always repeat what he said. I know it would've gotten to me. "Each one had the flavor of a different kind of meat. Quite nutritious, actually."

Takuya took a step forward, pointing at the green apple with one of his gloved fingers as he asked, "Where'd you find that thing?"

I was about to say, _"Inside your head, there can't be anything else in there." _But I stopped, knowing that might lead me to losing control of _everything_ again. And that was one thing I didn't want happening a second time.

"It was just lying on the ground," she replied, sounding quite proud that she'd been the one to find it. Even though the ground was frickin' everywhere. "There has to be a tree somewhere near by."

JP and Tommy sounded pretty glee-filled after hearing that there was most likely more food to be found.

"Bokomon, will you help me find some more?" Zoe called to the white 'all-knowing' vegetable.

"Certainly." Bokomon replied, starting to head after her, but stopped as Neemon started to speak.

He turned to face where Bokomon was running as he asked, "Can I come?"

I heard Bokomon let out a loud groan before grabbing the yellow moron's waist band and dragging him along saying, "Alright!"

"Goody!" Neemon exclaimed, allowing Bokomon to drag him without any struggle. "I love meat apples!"

Tommy ran after them shouting, "Wait for me!" But he abruptly stopped, ran back, and grabbed my hand.

He ran forward again, dragging me along as he said, his voice much happier despite the fact that he'd been sobbing just a few minutes before, "You come too Toshiku!"

Well, honestly I didn't want to go with, right now I just wanted to either be left alone so I could think for a while, or stand by Wolf-boy for the remainder of my life. Which, if I kept screwing up like that, wouldn't be for much longer. Sentimon or one of the other things would show up, and they'd take advantage of my dark core while they had the chance.

"But, you don't want me by trees. They blow up, they start on fire _because_ they blew up, and—Heheh, the Santa at the mall did that too—but, uhh, they—" I tried to worm my way out of it—and my arm out of his hand—but Tommy wasn't believing any of it.

"Come on Toshiku! It'll be fun!" He said again, trying hard to convince me, even though the fact that he wasn't loosening his grip on my hand made it all the harder to get away.

I felt something furry suddenly jump up onto my shoulder, and instantly saw Weregarumon perched there. I paid no real mind to him being there, it wasn't as if it was unlike Weregarumon to sit on either my or Koji's shoulder or head.

"Weregarumon?" I kept my eyes ahead as something soft and warm tickled my cheek. I assumed that it was just Weregarumon's fluffy black tail and let it pass back out of my mind without much thought. "Why aren't you with Koji? I thought you were still in his bandana?"

"Papa ckn'dt fayia gianlkt menaiees." He answered, thinking that he was speaking clearly and not stopping to state what he'd said again.

I was about to question what the fuzzy little creature had just told me when something soft, and gave off Koji's distinct scent tickled my nose. When I'd gotten over the fact that it had Koji's sweet smell to it, I reached over and yanked it from Weregarumon's mouth.

Before my eyes, lying tenderly in my hand lay Koji's bandana. What? So, Weregarumon would leave Koji for a little while, but he would bring his bandana?

…Well, it was a spiffy bandana. And not only that, it was Koji's, and smelled of him too.

Weregarumon decided to explain. "It was too warm to leave, and it had Papa all over it," He gave a small, sheepish wolf-grin. "Papa was a little mad at first, but then I got here. I think they went to go and get some of the hard flame not-resisters."

"…You mean wood?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at the creative baby Digimon. I couldn't help but wonder who he was getting most of this from anyway.

"If it's brown and starts on fire, then yes it is!" Weregarumon stated happily as I carefully folded Koji's bandana so if wouldn't wrinkle and placed it in my pocket. The last thing that I wanted happening was me losing it. It was an important part of Koji after all.

Truthfully, I didn't know how to reply to that kind of a statement. Most times, when someone's talking to you about stuff that they don't even know, you just don't know how to answer.

It's like talking to a frickin' bush. It'll listen, you know it will, it's just gonna have a bit of difficulty answering you. So you have to talk for it.

That's were insanity comes in.

"Huh?" I glanced at Tommy as he turned his head away from the trail. I exhaled loudly through my nose, thinking that he'd probably just seen a little squirrel-ish Digimon go by.

"Is something wrong?" Zoe asked as she stopped, turning to face him.

"Mama!" Weregarumon suddenly cried, instantly jumping to the ground and cowering, covering his eyes with his paws. "The onions! The burn! Eee!"

I slightly raised an eyebrow at the bizarre little guy before turning to Zoe and saying, "I think you're blinding him with your pink and purple-ness."

She glared at me, obviously not precisely pleased with my remark. It really hadn't been to make her laugh anyway. If anything, it was supposed to annoy her. Nevertheless, it worked.

Zoe turned back to Tommy, ignoring the fact that I'd said anything as she waited for Tommy to reply to the question she'd asked only moments before Weregarumon's confession of his fear of…apparently colorful onions.

"I just thought I heard something flying by." Tommy told her, glancing out among the trees again with a look of confusing and fear on his face.

Zoe smirked before saying, "Maybe Toshiku's trying to scare us—"

I growled before grumbling, "Don't try to pin this one on me, I haven't done anything yet."

"Yeah," Zoe snickered, always the one to find at least one flaw in everything that I did. "Yet."

I snarled before snapping, "You know what—"

"What?!" Zoe snapped right back, thinking to herself that one way or another, she was going to win this fight too.

But this time, I wanted to be the one to beat her down. Right now, the one thing that would please me more than anything would be for something to come crashing down through the trees and crush her. I wouldn't help; I wouldn't save her.

I shoved my hands in my pockets, ready to say exactly what was on my mind and not leave one thing out, when Koji's bandana came into contact with my hand. I felt nothing but the bliss that Koji's essence gave me, and my rage felt swept away.

"Nothing," I tried to say it calmly—though it just came out as a low mumble—as I walked forward, keeping my hands in my pockets, Weregarumon still sitting on top of my head like a little fur cap. "Forget I said anything."

Zoe seemed surprised that I hadn't kept going with the threats and yelling, but she didn't exactly seem to mind that I'd passed on her offer for another dispute this time.

But, I just had to wreck everything that I'd actually tried to make peaceful by adding, "Someone's gotta be the bigger one out of us. And if it's not going to be you, it's gotta be me."

"What makes you think—"

Zoe was about to 'ask my opinion', but Tommy cut her off as he exclaimed, pointing ahead of him, "Hey! There it is! A big tree!"

I couldn't help but wonder as I looked towards where Tommy was pointing if it was even going to be the right tree. The closest thing that I assumed it could be was a peach tree, with poisonous peaches. But they wouldn't be peaches on that peach tree, they'd actually be numbers disguised as peaches. So…if I was right, that would be one stupid tree to have gotten fruit mixed up with fake number-fruit.

But no, it was the meat apple tree. And Zoe decided to state the frickin' obvious right off the bat. "There're so many!"

"It's loaded with meat apples," Tommy exclaimed, grabbing my hand again as he and Zoe ran forward towards the tree, dragging me along with them even though I could've followed just fine without him having to pull me. "Yummy!"

As we neared the tree and Tommy finally let go of me, I looked up at the full branches of the tree and wondered aloud, "How do you expect to get them down now geniuses?"

I continued to stare at the lowest branch, wondering if gravity really did exist in this world (I kinda figured that it did, but it helped my thought process to think that maybe it didn't) as Weregarumon jumped off of my head to the grass-covered ground.

I cast my gaze down to were Weregarumon was as he jumped up, pushing his paws against the back of my legs and saying, a happy little cub-smile on his black face, "Just climb up there and throw a couple of them down Mama! You can do it! I'll even give you a push if you want."

"No," I answered awkwardly as I took a few step closer to the trunk of the tree, gripping its rough bark in my hands. I started to claw my way up, and was about halfway to the nearest branch before I realized something.

"You know," I called down to them as I finally reached the branch and pulled myself up on it. "How much easier do you think it would've been if one of us had just spirit-evolved and shot them out of the frickin' tree?!"

"That's a good idea Toshiku!" Zoe called up to me as she spirit-evolved into her creepy fairy of a warrior. I couldn't understand how that thing could've been anything near strong back when—or, actually any time at all.

"Uhh…that was my Plan B, actually. Plan A, I'm working on right now so, you don't have to—" But no, Zoe was going to do what she didn't have to do. I shouldn't anticipated that she wasn't going to listen to me anyway.

I didn't have the time to hear the precise attack she used, but it sent a lot of wind in my direction, knocking a hell of a lot of the meat apples out of the tree—and almost me too.

I dug my nails into the branch I was falling off of, just trying not to let the gravity that apparently did exist drag me to the ground.

"Zoe! Knock it—" I shouted, trying to pull myself up higher on the branch, my arms straining just to hold on to the thing. "Off!"

I grunted as the wind stopped and I fell along with a lot of the meat apples to the awaiting ground below. I think Zoe tried to catch me, but her plan didn't work, and only succeeded in bashing my head against a rock.

I clamped my eyes shut and groaned as excruciating pain shot through my skull as I tried to get back up. I'd never known that rocks—or Zoe—could do so much damage.

I heard them calling my name, and I opened my eyes slightly to see Neemon, Bokomon, Tommy, and Zoe hovering over me like alien space ships. If I wasn't at least a little bit conscious, I would've been shouting, 'you'll never take me alive! or dead!'.

Instead, I heard Bokomon ask, just by the tone of his voice I could tell that he was expecting either no answer, or one that was going to be incredibly off topic, "Toshiku, are you alright? Can you hear me?"

"How many months are there in thirty billion days and hours?" Neemon questioned, sounding completely serious about me answering as he held up both of his yellow paws.

I snarled as I heard Zoe piteously tell me, "I'm sorry Toshiku, I didn't mean for you to hit your head!" Then why the heck did you make me hit the stupid rock in the first place?! It wasn't there when I climbed the tree! "Are you okay?"

I put a hand to my forehead as I mumbled, my voice sounding strange even to my own ears, "My head…it feels like…ka-pow…"

"Bokomon," Tommy's voice sounded distant, but I knew he was kneeling right by me. I shuddered as I began to wonder how hard I'd really hit my head. "Is Toshiku going to be okay?"

"I don't know my dear boy," Bokomon told him, sounding none too sure of himself as he spoke. "I think she will, but right now, I think the best thing for her is to just get a bit of rest," _That _turned my brain off faster than lightning.

I knew that hearing the rest of what Bokomon had to say would've been a smarter idea, but clearly the rest of me didn't give a crap about what he was going to say. I'd been half asleep for less than thirty seconds when the fuses in my mind reacted like machine work, and dreams filled my sleeping soul.

_I sighed, lowering my head from the sad blue sky to watch the sea of grasses churn before me. But they were there no more; Lucemon and his forces had burned everything from my village, to the forests surrounding it, everything._

_I squeezed my eyes shut as I remembered the horror. The pure, malevolent terror. All that I'd heard…all that I'd seen…none of it was supposed to be happening. Lucemon was supposed to be keeping the peace. Why was he torturing everyone so?_

_"AncientRaiafemon! AncientRaiafemon! Please, come quickly!" I turned my head from the depressing sight of the scorched meadow ahead of me to the Digimon racing towards me. It was Baeomon, a snow-white leech-looking creature with tiny feather-covered wings. She seemed troubled—or, at least more troubled than what she should've been right now—as she called out to me, fear and hopelessness clear in her voice, "It's Baiirmon!"_

_Baiirmon. I hadn't known he'd been injured. And why had Beomon come to get me? Why not someone else? What was so relevant about me speaking with Baiirmon during the time when he should be getting healing rest?_

_I shook my head, my black fur-tipped ears that were placed precisely at the top of my head fluttering uncontrollably; now wasn't the time to be wondering. If I was the one Baiirmon wished to converse with before his spirit was taken back to the Tree of Beginning, then I couldn't hesitate for a moment._

_I got quickly to my taloned feet before sprinting after Baeomon, who'd already started back to Baiirmon's shelter. In reality, many of our refuges had been demolished by Lucemon's services, so in truth, he was just lying underneath one of the trees that had survived on one of the cloth blankets that one of the women had made. _

_When I saw him, I stopped in my tracks. There were many serrated gashes in his chest, and one at least twice the size of my talon down the center of his face. I could tell that just from those wounds, my friend wasn't going to be around for the next village meeting to tell his story._

_I ran the rest of the way to him and knelt by his side, the black armor on my legs clicking against the pebbles beneath me as I did. _

_"Baiirmon," I asked, taking up one of his paw-like hands in my own, being careful not to scratch him with my own claws. "Are you alright? Please, answer me!"_

_He grunted in obvious pain as he opened his weary, forest green eyes. Baiirmon focused his gaze upon me; he tried to smile, but he couldn't disguise the pain I knew he was in. "AncientRaiafemon, heh, I recall when you were a young Digimon. So many memories that I've grown so fond of—"_

_He broke off into a coughing fit, and I could tell just by his little speech about old times…that he knew just as well as I did that he wasn't going to be getting much more time around._

_Baiirmon cleared his throat, but remained silent. I gritted my teeth in despair as he continued to be without sound. I knew he hadn't passed yet, he was still here. He was just thinking about something. Thinking about something he should or shouldn't tell me. _

_I cried out, the sadness of losing my friend to the unknown able to be heard in my choked voice, "Baiirmon! You wouldn't have sent Baeomon to retrieve me if you had not anything that you wanted me to be aware of! Please," Tears crawled down my cheeks, leaving red stains on my face as they fell to the dead ground below. The ground that had once been filled with life, and love; earth that had once been my beloved home. "Tell me what plagues your mind in this cheerless time."_

_"You are…correct—" He cried out. Reaching for a gash in his side and gripping it tight, he whispered through gritted teeth, the sound waves troubling my drooping ears, "You…you're strong…the Digital World and all of its inhabitants need you to be brave, and fight along side the Ten—"_

_I squeezed my eyes shut as I said, my dread sodden heart ripping like the moon itself tears through the darkness of the night, "I'm no warrior; I'm no fulfiller of a prophesy—"_

_"You are! You cannot deny it! You cannot—" He grunted, pain filling him again. Baiirmon, being aware that he had only moments left, moved on to his main point. "You must…protect those warriors…or die trying. Swear to me that you will," He looked at me, a pleading sorrow in his dying eyes. _

_He knew this was a lot to ask, and I didn't even know if I could. I was weak, no matter what Baiirmon said, or did, nothing could change that. I would never be like the Ten, no matter what I did; I couldn't achieve what they could. Where I would fail, they would succeed._

_I gritted my teeth, a pulse of hope heating my chilled veins to the point where my blood began to boil. If I could never be like them, then there was no way for them to become like me. Where they were too weak to go on, I could carry them the rest of the way. When they needed aid, I could help them reach the goal they needed to achieve. If ever they might fail, I could take their place, and succeed._

_"Your oath…" Baiirmon uttered, his delicate data already beginning to present itself around him—_

Something hard walloped me over the head, waking me from my slumber, and from the rest of my dream. I groaned as I rubbed my head; I felt like I'd been put in the dryer, and then run over by a frickin' Trailmon. And from what I could assume, that wasn't fun.

I glanced at the ground, an uncooked meat apple sitting there on the ground next to me. I could only guess that it had been the thing to hit me in the head. I picked it up in my hand, rolling it over a few times for the heck of it.

I sat up away from the tree that Zoe and Tommy had probably placed me by as I asked, "Okay, who threw an apple at me this time?"

"I did," Takuya said, raising a hand. He was sitting next to Koji by a growing fire. I wondered if Takuya had been 'smart' and used one of Agunimon's attacks to start it. Probably not; I was talking about smart, and that was not really one of Takuya's strong points. "I wanted you to eat something. But, it just…flew…too hard."

I looked away from them again; my head still hurt from falling on it—and getting hit by an apple. Right now I just wanted to sleep. I wanted to know the rest of what happened to AncientRaiafemon. I needed to know what she meant to me.

"The fire's ready!" Bokomon called to everyone. When I looked, he and almost everyone else had bundles of apples on sticks in their hands. "Bring your apples!"

Zoe, JP, and Tommy laughed happily at the thought of eating the meat-fruit as they ran over to the fire. I kinda hoped that one of them would fall into the fire and burn out of my life.

Tears came into my eyes as my selfish thoughts brought back pain-bearing memories of the accident. If I could ever forget anything for the rest of my life, I would want it to be everything about the crash. Anything that I could still remember about my family before it.

It hadn't happened long ago, and they hadn't died instantly. But now, I wished they had. I hadn't been at the hospital when they died; I'd just been told by my fifth grade teacher that they were no longer at the hospital.

That would've been two years ago exactly in a few days. I never liked to think about it though. I don't know why, if I didn't like to remember it, I'd kept the article in the paper about the crash though. Maybe I'd wanted to have something to remember them by then. But not anymore.

I shook my head and stood up, wiping the pathetic tears from my eyes as I did. If I was to forget them and say good-bye to my memories, I'd have to stop thinking about them whenever my own stupid mind recalled them. I had no other option but to force myself to overlook them.

I turned and came over to the fire along with everyone else. Bokomon handed a stick to me, his black, beady little eyes digging deep into my shoulder as I turned away and shoved the stick through the apple's core. The pale green reminded me of my dream, and of Baiirmon's dying eyes.

I dug my nail into the thin bark of the twig my apple was now on the end of, frustration in every splinter I gave myself. I still didn't know who Baiirmon was. Or even AncientRaiafemon. But I wasn't about to ask and risk another fight.

AncientRaiafemon looked like Raveamon. But, she'd had some of Wereraiomon's features too. The ears had been like Wereraiomon, but she'd had the black wings of Raveamon. And the armor was closer to Raveamon that Wereraiomon too, but it had been thicker and, with the symbol for moon there, not on her torso. Her talons had been golden, and her teeth had had that canine look to them.

But what confused me the most was why she had cried blood-red tears. I knew that Digimon had no blood, and I could only assume that they had normal tears. Maybe it was just because she was somehow different.

Could it be possible that she really did have something to do with me having the spirit of Raveamon like I did? Had she been aware of the crash, and simply sent the spirit of Raveamon and combined her soul with mine to save me? But if that was so, then why had she chosen me out of the millions of people that die in accidents all around the world. And…why had she chosen me and not one of my family members instead.

My brother had always been the better person, and I didn't mind. He'd been humble about it, and had tried not to bother me too much. But that didn't mean that he never had been anything of a pest. Now, I just wished I could remember his name.

Even my parents had been superior compared to me, but that was how things were supposed to be. Like my brother, I'd gotten my mother's black hair, but nothing else about me was like them. Not even the color of my eyes. They'd been a cool, livid green during my childhood, but after the passing of my parents and brother every day they seemed to grow lighter.

I'd cry myself to sleep every night, knowing that this orphanage shouldn't be my home, and that it wasn't. When I'd wake up, every now and then I'd notice little green stains on the pillow case. I knew it had to impossible that my tears had drawn out the color of my eyes because of my weeping, that my misery was trying to change me.

But maybe it was because of Raveamon. She had those crimson stains streaming down her face, and they started at her eyes. And when AncientRaiafemon had cried, the same red marks had been on her face. It could just be something that bound us into one person. That would make it two things that were sort of same about us: one, when we cried, our tears left stains of our eye color, and the second was where I had to make a bit of an exception.

One day, Hiroshi and I had gotten into it about Rio again on the second floor of the building. My back had been to the window; Hiroshi's the rest of the hallway. I was trapped like a rat in a hat. Like a carrot in a maze.

Hiroshi pushed me, lightly at first just to see if I would back down. But I shoved him back, nearly knocking him off his feet and into his goons. I remembered him growling as he came at me a second time. I even remember hearing Rio cry for me to get away. Hiroshi's finale was supposed to be simple and foolproof: knock me onto the ground, and punch a bit of sense into me.

But it hadn't been foolproof. He hadn't known me long enough to make it idiot-proof. He shoved me, and I would've hit the ground if my pride hadn't enforced itself now into my legs, keeping me upright. I staggered back, staying upright the couple feet to the window. It was when I smashed through the glass that my pride really hurt; and it wasn't just my pride.

I felt the air rushing past me—a feeling that I now compared with flying—as I fell. I had no idea how close the ground was; I didn't want to know honestly. I knew I was done for, but the only thing I had really been thinking about was who was going to be protecting Rio now. I barely knew who he was, and he meant nothing to me, but it was just like I had to guard him. Like, it was some kind of…preparation, or training.

Everything else was hard to remember. It was like it really hadn't happened. Like my brain had made up some kind of alibi for the absence of all of my senses. But I knew that wasn't it. I knew something had happened. And it may have been one of the most important things that happened in my life.

I could remember hearing myself shout out shakily, "Sp-Spirit!"

Pain shot through my shoulder blades, making me cry out. At first I thought that I'd just hit the ground, but it was when the wind slowly started to flow gently past my face that I realized I was okay.

Slowly, I opened my eyes to see that I was slowly floating to the ground like an airplane landing on the runway. When my feet finally touched the ground, a strange, feminine voice ran through my mind, _"There, now don't go by anymore windows. You have no idea how hard that is when you don't know what you're doing. I guess I'll have to get used to it."_

I smiled as I looked into the center of the fire Takuya and Koji had made. I guess Raveamon had gotten used to me. I hadn't fallen out of any windows in a while, and now I knew what I was doing.

I looked up, my smile fading to a thin line across my face as I heard Neemon repeating Bokomon's name over and over again before his lemon-colored paw was slapped by the white radish. Neemon asked, ignoring the fact that he'd been whacked, "Is this a good idea?"

"What's the matter with you?!" Bokomon cried, even though he probably knew. He'd probably been the one to talk to brain out of Neemon in the first place. He turned towards the rest of us, raising one white appendage in the air. "We have to help you find your beast spirits as soon as possible! After all, it may be the only way to save the Digital World! We haven't even reached the Forest Terminal, and we're running out of time! These beast spirits must be out number one priority!"

"Nope," Neemon stated, that strange smile that never seemed to leave his face just as clear as ever. I had to figure that he wasn't talking about the beast spirits. "Not good."

Bokomon seemed pissed at Neemon's attitude. The one he really didn't have. "What is 'not good'?!"

"The meat apples," Neemon told him, raising a finger in the air. But surprisingly it didn't look like he was flipping anyone off like Bokomon always did. "While you're talking, they're burning up."

I looked at the fire to see that Neemon—for once—was actually right. Everyone dove for their nearly flaming apple as Neemon just kinda sat there, still pointed upwards like he'd gotten stuck like that. He was probably in shock of his own smart stupidity.

I heard a few of them yelling that they were hot, and Takuya seemed to be the one that seemed to be shouting the loudest—besides Bokomon, who was the one who always had to get the last word.

After all the screaming, it was 'story time'. JP decided on his own that he was going to start, "Mine tastes like a meat bun!"

"This one tastes almost like a chicken drum stick!" Tommy exclaimed after taking a bite of his. He seemed quite proud of it too.

So did Takuya. But he seemed more focused on eating than his pride. "I think I'm eating prime rib."

"Yeah," Koji said after taking a bite of his. Even when he had his mouth full of food he looked smarter than everyone around him. "Gingered pork."

I heard Zoe take a loud bite of hers before falling back and exclaiming in a stupid happiness, "Mine's osobuko!"

I looked around at everyone, noticing that they were waiting for me to give a description of my own apple. I shrugged before taking a bite out of it. The savory meat set my taste buds on a free trip to the frickin' carnival. The only problem was that I didn't know what the heck it was.

I shrugged before stating, taking another bite of my mystery apple, "I don't know what it is, but it hasn't killed me yet, so it's good."

"Why do you think everything is trying to kill you?" Zoe asked, taking her main focus off of the food in front of her for a moment. "Every time you see something, you always think it's going to try and hurt somebody. Why?"

I mentally rolled my eyes and ignored her. Or, at least that's what I thought I was doing. "I'm just trying to—" I stopped, suddenly getting an idea that had nothing to do with the present conversation.

I jumped to my feet, dropping my apple on a stick as I did. I pointed at Koji—who was sitting right next to me—and exclaimed, my leg being burned by the fire as I did, making me jump up and down on one foot. Which probably made me look like more of an idiot than I already knew I was, "KojKoj! KojKoj! KojKoj! KojKoj!"

I slipped on the apple I'd dropped and fell to the ground. I probably would've kept going until either someone threw something hard at me, or if that apple hadn't decided that I should shut the heck up.

I sat there on the ground, smiling like a frickin' moron as I blushed at a very embarrassed Koji. His face was now a very bright pink, the color only illuminated by the glow created by the fire. I loved to see him when he was embarrassed; he was too cute when he was.

Koji's cheeks only turned redder as everyone else exploded with laughter at my outburst, and his cherry red face. Zoe tried to make a comment, but she was laughing too hard and gave up.

I tried to give Koji a sheepish smile of apology; I really hadn't meant to blurt that out. But he simply glared back at me; his blushing face wasn't very convincing though. I continued to smile back at him until he turned away from me, still embarrassed.

When everyone else had stopped laughing, I finally noticed how dark it had gotten in only a few moments. I looked to the usually livid sky to watch a dark cloud move over the moons, blocking all the brightness of the sky from our sight. Now, the only light we had was the fire.

And Koji. Koji was very sparkly too.

"Hey," JP called up to the clouds as if they could hear him, but didn't give a _kuso_. "You're blocking the view!"

I turned back to the forest around us as Tommy stood up and looked around, scare in his eyes—like almost always. "Something's happening…"

I watched in awe as many of the trees' bark began to create screen-like shapes on themselves. I stood up and walked over to one of them to get a closer look as pictures began to appear on all of them.

"A TV…" Tommy mumbled, everyone just as mystified as I was. They looked around at all of them as I stopped in front of one single tree.

All of the trees around it seemed to have backed off, like it had some kind of contagious disease. I put my hands up on it as the screen appeared on its trunk too. The shine from the television flickered as I pressed my palms up against it.

When pictures finally started to appear on it, I didn't want to be curious anymore; I felt like the dead cat. But I was curious. I did want to know exactly what I was going to be looking at in a few moments.

The background was darkly colored, and had a slight, evil purple look to it. Right in the center, making tears spring into my eyes at the sight, was none other than AncientRaiafemon herself. A sword going right through her, surpassing her armor like it hadn't even been there.

She wasn't screaming, but I could see the pain her red stained face; after what seemed like all that time, those tear paths were still just as bright as the day she'd cried the tears. The hurt etched all over her face was just like Baiirmon's had been, except she had no one there that I could see to hide it from.

Already she was stronger than me. She'd been able to deal with the fact of losing someone close. She'd been able to keep going. AncientRaiafemon had moved on, and done what Baiirmon had asked her to do.

"How…how can you do that?" I mumbled to the screen, squeezing my eyes shut from the image before me. She wasn't dead yet; there was no data surrounding her, and she was still struggling against the wound. "How can you be so strong?"

Even though I desperately wanted to look away, I forced myself to gaze up at the screen again. Tears poured down my face as she noticed something in the distance. Something deep inside me knew where this was going. But I wanted to stay in the dark; I didn't want to venture into a known world. I'd really rathered staying in the danger zone.

The television screen seemed to shift as a jagged hole opened up in the background; that had been what AncientRaiafemon had felt changing around her.

I watched as the screen near her began to show pictures and colors. I let my forehead clunk against the tree as the image of a car, and four motionless people inside it came into the view. It was the day of the crash. She'd been aware when it happened. She'd felt it.

"Huh?" I looked through my tears at AncientRaiafemon as she struggled to speak. "A Digi-destined? But…she can't die yet," I watched in remorse, a knowing wave of guilt washing over me as she dug her now chipped, golden talons into the gash the sword had formed in her.

She grimaced, but didn't pull her hand back until she had multiple rings of her own data wrapped around her palm. "This…" She fought for another breath. "Should save her…human spirit of Moon…Raveamon…"

"No…" I murmured, my throat tight with my own emotion. "Don't. Don't sacrifice yourself for someone who's gonna screw up!" I could hear myself getting louder. And I knew that everyone else was starting to take notice of my tears, the shine from the screen making them stick out like laser beams from my face.

"And…" She dug both sets of talons into her armor. She let out a cry as her data shone out from her, and her figure disappeared in a flash of white and pale grey light. But I could still here her whispering, "…Beast spirit of Moon…Wereraiomon."

All of her tender blue data faded into two small little spheres of bright life, that insignificant-seeming data forming two power-filled figurines. One Wereraiomon, the beast spirit I didn't seem to be strong enough to control. And the other Raveamon, the human spirit that was more apart of me than any of my fingers.

"Don't do it! I'm not strong enough…" I cried, trying to stay quiet, but knowing that everyone had heard me. I didn't want them to see me in this state. I was weak now, and I didn't want them to be watching me fall apart. I hoped that they were paying attention to the other screens and not me.

"Toshiku…Yumari…"

I looked up in astonishment as AncientRaiafemon's voice whispered my name. The screen was already beginning to darken, but there was still a slight essence of her there in its center.

"I know…you will not fail…You will learn in time…that you are strong enough to do what you are destined to…" And with that, the cloud passed over the moons, letting their light shine back down on the forest.

I beat my fists against the tree; I still didn't understand. There was something I had to do, but I didn't see how I could go and do it if I didn't even know what it was. Why did everything have to be so confusing? And why did everything that was confusing come to me to straighten it out again?

"Toshiku," I glanced up, tears still trickling down my face. Zoe'd called out my name; I could hear multiple pairs of feet coming towards me as she continued. "Are you okay? What did you see in the tree?"

I quickly wiped the tears from my face as I answered hastily; trying to disguise my guilt-filled, sad voice with anger, "It doesn't matter what I saw or if I even saw anything to begin with! Why don't you just stop trying to make me your friend?! Isn't it clear that—"

I growled before pushing off from the tree and started trudging into the woods ahead of me. I didn't care where I was going. I needed a bit of time to go and think about what I'd seen and dreamt.

"Toshiku! Where do you think you're going?!" Zoe shouted after me, obviously getting even more pissed off when I didn't turn around and come back right away.

"I'm just going for a walk—"

"Oh no you're not! Not alone!" She shouted, cutting me off, and instantly feeling the need to protect the 'balance of her being in charge'. She turned to Koji and Takuya. "One of you go with her and keep her out of trouble."

I turned back as Takuya jumped to his feet and started walking over happily to come with me. I could see that he was more than happy to go with. But I didn't need someone with me. I didn't want Takuya with me, and I had no intentions of letting him come with.

But then I let my gaze connect with Koji's. I could see he was ready to get up from the ground and come if I wanted him to. I saw in his eyes that he knew something was bothering me. Though I could tell he was only coming with if I wanted him to.

I wanted to smile and tell him nothing was wrong, and I was okay. But I didn't know how to comfort him without giving the others a foothold into the fact that I did like Koji. If anyone was ever going to know, it sure as heck wouldn't be the people in this excuse for a group.

"I don't need someone to come with," I argued with Zoe, though my voice didn't have that kind of a tone to it. It was too calm for me to have been fighting with her. Honestly, I sounded like I was reasoning with her. "I just want to be alone for a little while. Just, sort out some old business."

"But what if we need you back here?" She called after me as I started back into the trees. I was sure that she knew that one way or another I was leaving, but she wanted to see if she could convince me anyway.

"I'll be back," I called to them, not taking the time to stop or turn my head around. "And I'll show up if you need me."

With that I continued into the darkness. But it was a clear night, and the light from the stars and moons lit my path better than a lamp or flashlight. I walked along a single trail where the trees parted; grass wasn't growing in multiple places on it. It must have been traveled a few couple times before.

I had to have been walking with a silent mind for at least ten minutes when something slammed into me, knocking me back a few feet and onto the ground. I knew what had been coming up on the trail, so I knew for a fact that I hadn't run into anything.

I jumped up from the ground and pulled out my D-Tector to spirit-evolve as three precise figures appeared from the shadowed trees before me, one of which was lighting up the area so much that I wondered how I could've possibly missed it. It was Sentimon, the possessor of the element of Sun.

I growled, the want for her downfall pressing my courage on beyond its normal limits. I placed my D-Tector back in my pocket before spirit-evolving to Raveamon.

"Do you really think, foolish child," A deep, masculine voice called out to me, stepping forward into Sentimon's glow. I could see the mark of Death on his armored shoulder, the color of it a dim ruby. A yellowish gem was placed on his shoulders, his mark also there. "That if you couldn't lay a talon on Sentimon herself without your beast spirit, you'll do better against three, all of our levels much higher than your own?"

I gulped, realizing that he was right, whoever he was. "I'll take my chances…uh…"

"Obstimon," He informed me with a flick of his dark colored glove; it was hard to get a close look at any of them in this kind of lighting. "Another of the three causes of death; the mind and all its splendorous wisdom."

"Does she really need to know?" The last of them asked, his voice snapping through the air like a bullet shot out of a gun. He stepped forward; in Sentimon's smolder his armor could've been blackish, or maybe had a black-blue tint to it, but right now that really didn't matter to me. His symbol was that of Power, and it was placed on his torso. The alikeness to Raveamon slightly frightened me, but I couldn't let them see they had me where they wanted me. "She's right where we want her to be," Aw crap. "I don't see why we aren't just going to attack her now!"

"Vigomon!" Sentimon shouted to him. I had to assume that he wasn't exactly following the plan. If they had in fact made one to start out with. "You know how Lord Cherubimon wants this to be done."

She stopped and they all faced me. I wondered why they weren't trying to fight me. Were they just trying to set a sense of fear for them in me? If they were, I didn't want them to know it was kinda working.

Standing here all alone against them, three powerful beings that could easily crush me, made me long for Koji's reassuring presence. At least then I would have something here with me to fight for. At least then I could tell him how much I—

I clenched my fists, a new sense of power surging through me, even though I knew I couldn't fight them then. I had to get back to the others, make sure that they were okay. Just in case Sentimon, Vigomon, and Obstimon decided that it was time they paid my friends a visit. They weren't about to get close to them. No matter what, I wouldn't let them.

But even though there was nothing that I wanted more in the world than to just fight them and rid my life of three of the biggest pains it'd ever had, I couldn't. Even though it was a bit of a dig to myself, I really wasn't strong enough to fight them by myself. I needed to know more about them and figure out why they wanted me.

Out of all the people in the world—two worlds—why they had chosen me was the key thing I needed to know before I could even dream of fighting them without any kind of help. And why AncientRaiafemon had chosen me too.

I started to step back; I didn't want to just up and run away, I didn't want to appear scared. Even though I was afraid, they didn't have to know that. But I could see that they did know they had me frightened as they started to stride towards me, all of their footsteps in perfect synchronization.

I didn't know if they were going to try and fight me, or if they were going to attempt to just capture me and take me to Cherubimon. But I wasn't going to stick around and find out.

I took a false step forward, turning on a dime and sprinting back up the path before my foot even touched the ground before it. Air rushed past my helmet-covered ears as I ran; I could hear their footsteps growing faster and closer behind me.

I had to get back to the others before them. Who knows what might happen if they make it back to the camp. I didn't think that I could protect everyone from them if I couldn't even protect myself from one of them.

I stopped abruptly and looked around me. I couldn't go straight back, I'd lead them right there. I stared out in front of me; I could see the small glow of the fire from here. Turning around I could see the sunlight-seeming smolder of Sentimon as they gained on me.

I ran off the path for a few yards—making sure that they saw me turn off the path—and lurched up into the tree branches above me as soon as I was certain (or at least sort of) that they couldn't see me. I watched in silence as they ran beneath the tree I was hiding in, halting right underneath my branch.

"I told you we should've evolved to our beast spirits before chasing her," Obstimon commented as he glanced around, searching and listening for any sign of me. I prayed to _Kamisama_ that none of them looked up. "If we had, there wouldn't have been any chance of her escaping."

Sentimon stepped away from the tree and began to leave as she told him, "It doesn't matter if she got away this time. We'll have many other run-ins with her."

"And besides," Vigomon added, both he and Obstimon beginning to turn and follow Sentimon as they faded into the distortions again, "I can sense her fear, and her confusion. She doesn't understand us, and we can use that to our advantage."

The others agreed as they finally faded from my sight, becoming like figments of an imagination as they moved deeper and farther away into the forest. I waited until they were completely gone from my sight to let out a thankful sigh.

I tumbled from the tree, returning from Raveamon's from back to my own as I hit the ground. Letting out an annoyed, but now slightly calmed sigh, I got up from the ground and back onto my weary feet. I doubted that they would come back to look for me again; we would probably be out of the forest by the time that they did.

When I got back to the camp, everyone was sleeping soundly. A small, strange hippo-like Digimon was floating above everyone but Koji, Neemon, and Bokomon, blowing a pink powder over them. But it seemed to be happy, and the others did too, so I assumed that it wasn't an enemy.

I walked over and sat down next to Koji, leaning up against the tree beside him. I could feel the warmth from Koji and the fire from where I was positioned. And after a meeting with the Three, this was a nice little peace of heaven to come back to.

"Sweet dreams children." The hippo-good-dream Digimon said quietly, continuing to puff the glittery dust over the others.

I smiled before closing my eyes. _"I hope so…"_


	11. Chapter 10: Sweet Sacrifice

Chapter 10: Sweet Sacrifice

I don't know how long I'd even been asleep when Bokomon shook me awake. This radish-vegetable thingy was starting to really get on my nerves. Maybe I'd get lucky and Neemon would embrace his rabbit instincts and eat him soon.

"Get off!" I grumbled, pulling my shoulder from him and leaning back against the tree. If I pretended to be asleep, they might go away. The whole world could've exploded for all I cared; right now, it was dark, and I just wanted to get some rest in. "Do you even know what time it is? People call the night bedtime for a reason. Do you want to go against rules? I didn't think so!"

I closed my eyes just in time to not see Neemon jump up and down on my stomach, forcing me to get up. He didn't seem to mind that he was crushing me. "Wakey wakey! Dancey dancey!"

"Alright already!" I sighed as I glared down at both of the unwanted alarm clocks with veggie heads. If they'd woken me from a better dream (like Zoe falling off a very high cliff) I probably would've crushed them beneath my feet. "What could you possibly want?!"

I looked around me at the others and saw that they were all sleeping. My stomach churned when I saw a snot bubble blow up in Takuya's nose. Though, I wasn't surprised that he was the one to have it.

"You are coming with us after Koji," Bokomon told me as he and Neemon showed me a piece of paper. I assumed that the message written on it had been written by Koji, but I couldn't help but wonder where he found the paper and pencil. "The boy received a message just last night. We are going to go with him, just without him necessarily being aware—"

"…So let me get this straight," I interrupted, handing the paper back to Bokomon. My voice had a slightly joking sound to it, but what made it funny was that it was actually kinda true. "You want me to come with you while you and Neemon stalk Koji?"

"…Good! You're coming with!" Bokomon exclaimed as he pulled three…crayons out of his waistband. He handed a cerulean one to me as Neemon started to draw on the paper. "Take this, and make your mark on the note. We'll have to make sure the others know we weren't eaten by some rabid Digimon."

_"There he goes with the 'we' again…" _I thought to myself, the annoyed tone even getting through in my thoughts. But at least we weren't following—er, stalking Takuya or JP. Koji was heaven, Takuya was a walking ball of fire, and JP was a slow-walking, melted bar of chocolate. Which one of these doesn't belong in the category of 'Idiots'?

I knelt down in front of the paper as Neemon and Bokomon fought over the two crayons. I scribbled the symbol for Moon in one of the top corners before dropping the crayon onto the grass and recovering the folded piece of paper with a rock.

I stood back up to see Neemon and Bokomon already walking away. I guessed they'd solved their argument over the crayons. With the way that they were moving, I assumed they'd forgotten about me coming with. Which was a good thing.

"Toshiku!" Bokomon called to me, both of them stopping and looking back. Why did these Digimon have to have long attention spans? "Come along, we've got no time to waste!"

I growled as I slowly followed them. I didn't want to have to help them follow Koji around like he was some lost lap dog. But I guess I would rather be with the Digimon and Koji than everyone else. Mainly Koji. "Fine, but only because I've got nothing better to do except sleep. And knowing you, you're not going to be taking 'no' as my answer."

"You'd be correct," Bokomon replied as I caught up to the short white dude. He was actually very slow; I nearly stepped on him a few times when he stopped to assume which way Koji went. "Now where did that boy go?"

I looked away from Bokomon and scanned the area. I didn't see Koji; he hadn't even left any footprints. But a feeling that existed past my being made me certain of where the wolf-boy had gone. I didn't get it, but it was like I could see exactly where Koji had walked. Like I was seeing through Koji's eyes themselves when he treaded the path.

"Just keep going," I told them, staring at the ground as I walked past them. They slowed and grabbed onto my legs as we started up a fairly steep hill. "I know where he is now. We aren't that far behind him."

"How do you know that Ms. Toshiku?" Bokomon asked as both he and Neemon let go of my legs. As we walked down the hill, the feeling that I had started to give me a headache, and I tried to let it go. "How can you be so sure of which way he's gone?"

"I don't know," I admitted, turning around to glance at the white, walking library. If I said I had no idea, he might clue me in himself. "I…I just kinda…do. It's like I can see what he saw then—"

"Well," Bokomon cut me off, even though I probably didn't have any other knowledgeable things left to say. He pulled out his green book of 'wisdom' and page through it. "The spirits of Moon really aren't in here very much, but what is said of them is that the human spirit, as you know, is Raveamon. And the beast spirit is Wereraiomon, which you also know. But other than that, and the fact that the warriors of Moon were made to protect.

"There are, however, small, lesser known legends about these warriors. But I'm not entirely familiar with them. What I do know is that you, being the possessor of these spirits, were made to protect the ten legendary warriors; and for some reason, Light especially."

Neemon thought (he thinks?) that now was a good time to put his red pants somewhere they didn't belong. "I know why Toshiku protects the Light more than everyone else!"

Bokomon looked over at him. I could tell that he was expecting something stupid, and was ready to snap his waistband if needed. I didn't even know where he was going this time. Stupid unpredictable yellow rabbit-thingy. "And what is it that you…uh, think?"

"It's because it's Koji! And she's digging Koji! Why else would she call him 'KojKoj'?" Neemon exclaimed, sounding quite proud of himself for deducting that I kinda had a crush on Koji.

I lunged at Neemon, snapping his waistband a few times myself. "I'm not 'digging' Koji!" I dropped his waist band and trudged forward, my face red from ear to ear. "Just because he's the Warrior of Light, and I have the spirits that protect him with a greater power than the others doesn't mean that I like him!"

Neemon and Bokomon ran to catch up with me as the yellow nuisance continued to stick his rabbit nose where it didn't belong. Where neither of them did. "How do we know you aren't lying? I've heard humans can do that quite well!"

"Hmph," I kept going, keeping my eyes on the yellow rabbit as I pondered all of his questions. Why was he so curious about this? Maybe this was his way of trying to be smart.

All he was doing was becoming a pain in my butt. I could tell him that he—for once—was right about something. But that would just give me another weakness. Neemon couldn't keep a secret to save his life as far as I'd seen so far. And all of the Three being aware that Koji was someone who meant something to me was not something I needed happening. Especially when they didn't even know that the Three existed.

"Ms. Toshiku—"

"Stop calling me that," I told Bokomon stridently, stopping to shoot a glance at him. I didn't want him to be so formal; it wasn't like I was an important person or anything. "Just call me Toshiku, or just say 'person over there, yeah, you'."

Bokomon was silent for a moment, thinking over my interruption, but continuing on and forgot I'd even cut in. "I don't recall if I ever asked you if you were going to help save our world," He turned to Neemon for a quick moment. "Did I?"

"I don't know. The last thing I remember you saying was, 'Hello there, I'm Bokomon, the keeper of the book. What is your name?' and then we're here!" Neemon replied, waving his arms around in a pin-wheel fashion and looking panickingly around him.

Bokomon shook his head in pity for his yellow companion as he turned back to me. He jumped onto my leg and cried, making his voice sound pitiful and sort of squeaky, "Please," I looked down and saw tears in his eyes. I wondered if he'd forced them out, or if what he was about to talk to me about really meant that much to him.

"Don't leave the Digital World to perish. Please, like the legends say you can, protect the Ten at least until they know exactly what and who they're up against." He dug his dull claws into my leg as he pleaded for something I didn't even have a choice in.

I sighed as I moved forward, dragging Bokomon on my leg as I walked. "I don't think I really get to make the decision, noting the fact that I'm here, and I can't leave even if I wanted to, but…"

I growled at my own softness, knowing that I couldn't protect ten people and three Digimon including Weregarumon, who was nowhere to be found right now. But something inside pushed me to excel from my own limits of safety. I had to break my own rules if I was ever going to be able to break through any kind of dilemma we might reach.

"You people are gonna be the death of me," I mumbled, accepting the role that Bokomon enforced upon me. I shook Bokomon from my leg as the 'tears' erased themselves from his eyes.

"Thank you," Bokomon exclaimed, seeming surprised that I let his pleas in like I had. I couldn't say that I wasn't astounded either. "You won't regret saving this world!"

_"If you can see the future," _I questioned Bokomon, thinking to myself the inquiry I wanted so badly to know. _"Tell me what you see, because I don't see something I won't regret in it. What in Kamisama's name have I ever done right here? And if I haven't done anything right so far, how am I really going to do in the long run where it really matters?"_

I noticed that a strangely confused look passed Bokomon's face. I stared into his black eyes as I wondered if he'd heard my thoughts. Had…had I been able to use…telepathy with him like I'd been able to see where Koji'd gone?

But, the seriousness of the moment was broken and stamped on repeatedly as Neemon burst into song. I covered my ears with my hands and screwed my eyes shut as he began, " Wake up in the mornin' feelin' like P-Diddy. Got my glasses, I'm out the door, I'm gonna hit this city. Before I leave, brush my teeth with a bottle of jack. 'Cause when I leave for the night, I ain't comin' back. I'm talking pedicure on our toes, toes, trying on all our clothes, clothes, boys blowing up our phones, phones. Drop-topping, playing our favorite CD's, pulling up to the parties, trying to get a little bit tipsy…

" Don't stop, make it pop. DJ, blow my speakers up. Tonight, I'mma fight till we see the sunlight. Tick, tock, on the clock, but the party don't stop, no! Woah-oh-oh-oh! Woah-oh-oh-oh! Ain't got a care in the world, but got plenty of beer. Ain't got no money in my pocket, but I'm already here. And now —Ow!"

A sigh of relief escaped my lips as I took my hands away from my ears and opened my eyes to see Bokomon snap Neemon's waistband, stopping his 'singing'. I'd still heard all of his song, and frankly I thought my head was going to pop if he'd kept it up.

"How many times have I told you that you're not going to ever be able to win that Digital Idol contest that you always talk about?!" Bokomon exclaimed, pointing a finger at Neemon as he tried to recover from the fortieth snap today.

Neemon looked at him—still smiling—before saying rather calmly, even though with Neemon you could never really tell what was going through his head, if there was anything at all going on in there, "I could never count that high. Can you tell me?"

Bokomon let out an annoyed groan-growl-sound as he covered his face with his hands. I just stood there half turned around to see them; I didn't understand how they'd become companions if Bokomon couldn't stand him. Maybe Neemon had been smarter way back when.

I raised an eye brow at my own thought. I doubted that I was right about that, and I was pretty sure I had more of a chance of getting struck with a yacht that fell from the sky during an ice cream storm.

I shook my head as the thoughts of ice cream falling and whacking people upside the head droned from my mind and I noticed Neemon and Bokomon running down the hill.

"Koji's down there!" Bokomon called up to me as Neemon came back and grabbed the leg of my pants and dragged me down the hill as—or at least from how I had to run—fast as he could go. "I can see him!"

"Neemon!" I exclaimed as I nearly stumbled again. He'd taken hold of the knee of my jeans, and the way he was pulling me had me practically running on one leg. Which is really hard when you don't frickin' practice. "Let go of my leg already! I'm coming, I'm coming!"

But he paid no mind to my reassurance and continued to pull me along as he ran and hummed the tune to that song he'd just sung a few minutes ago. It had a catchy feel to it, but that was just not really what I wanted to have in my head while I was trying not to go tumbling down the rest of the hill.

Bokomon stopped as a small clearing broke through the trees; a small pool of crystal clear water was formed in the ground just before a section of tall grasses that flowed like gentle waves transform the sea into a churning surge. Koji was kneeling next to the little pond using his hand to scoop out some of the water.

Neemon didn't stop. No, he kept going; and even though I tried to warn him, he tripped over a tree root, dragging me down with him. Today, that twerp of a bunny was _trying_ to piss me off.

"This tastes bad." Neemon stated as he lifted his head from the dirt. There was a slight surprise to his tone too, which tempted me to try the dirt myself. But he continued to speak before I got the chance to taste it too. "Why are we following him?"

"That's what I've been wondering too." I commented as I stood up, helping Neemon onto his red pants-covered feet as I did. He may've been the one to drag me to the ground in the first place, but at least he…well, knew how some of the alphabet went.

"Are you serious?" Bokomon asked, evidently astounded by the fact that neither of us knew why we were stalking Koji. "Aren't either of you the least bit curious about that e-mail Koji got last night?"

"Oh yeah," Neemon said plainly as he remembered the moment of the occurrence of whatever Bokomon was talking about. His tone was clearly uncaring as he continued to remember. "Not really."

"Uhhh…" I tried to think back to last night. The only thing I could remember was lying down next to Koji by the tree. I hadn't noticed if he'd been awake or not. "I think I was asleep when he got it…I didn't know I was supposed to stay awake and stare at everyone's pockets waiting for their D-Tectors to go off."

Bokomon turned away from us back to Koji with an annoyed groan. "That message he received must have been very important. I can't believe you're not interested."

"Oh, hey, I am!" Neemon told Bokomon, shaking a finger at him for making the mistake of thinking otherwise. I could've sworn that I saw a spray of dirt fly into Bokomon's face as Neemon spoke.

"And I didn't say I wasn't curious—after you told me, that is—I just didn't want to have to stalk Koji." _Though, _I continued to think to myself, _I did find it a little strange that I could in the first place_.

"You…are?" Bokomon directed the surprised but still stupidity-expectant inquiry to Neemon. There was no doubt that he wasn't hoping that something smart would come out of his yellow bunny-rabbit friend. But with how many times he'd snapped his waistband, I was sure that Bokomon'd snapped the brains right out of Neemon.

"Sure, whatever," Neemon replied, still smiling his normal (or, at least Neemon-normal) grin. I doubted that there was anything close to normal-normal about Neemon. Not even his pants. "But I have a question for ya,"

I grinned when I noticed the look of annoyance immediately cross Bokomon's face as he readied himself to snap Neemon's waistband. Couldn't say I hadn't seen _that_ coming.

Neemon asked his oh so very important question in a completely serious tone before Bokomon replied with a quick snap of his pants, "Do these pants make me look fat?"

I looked up from Neemon and Bokomon with an instantaneous grin on my face as Koji's engaging, but clear and crisp voice came like a swift breeze to my ears. It was nice to hear after not having heard him speak all day. Even if his voice wasn't being directed at me. I didn't think he even knew we were standing here by him at all.

"It's driving me crazy," He said, D-Tector held out in front of him. It was apparent that he was perplexed; I wished I could tell him what he wanted to know. Or at least explain why I was with his little stalkers. "Who sent this e-mail?"

I walked down from Neemon and Bokomon and up to Koji as I said, "I would tell you, if I only knew. And I never would've guessed that you were a morning person, KojKoj." I smiled; glad I got to call him that again.

He glanced in my direction, and smirked as he questioned me teasingly. I could only assume that he was getting me back for last night and the fact I'd shouted my discovery of his nickname a few dozen times. If this wasn't it, he was probably planning to shove me off a cliff some time soon. "You followed me?"

I blushed lightly before answering matter-of-factly, hoping that he'd actually believe me, "No, no, I did not follow you. Your two little stalkers dragged me along to help them find you…And I am not joining the Koji Stalking Club."

Koji stared at me slightly, still lightly smirking. "There's a Koji Stalking Club?" There was still a fair amount of mockery on his lips; all of it making my face turn tomato red. I wouldn't have been surprised if little hearts had been coming out of my ears like smoke.

I growled in a slight annoyance as I mumbled, "Apparently there is. Bokomon is something like the president, Neemon is runner-up if Bokomon gets himself shot, and it seems that I can figure out where you've been without needing to have been there when you went along that path, so I'm the frickin' tracker."

There was more confusion on Koji's face than I'd hoped for. I didn't want to have to explain even more about the concept of me having to help the two Digi-stalkers with their own profession. I was blushing enough as it was.

But that wasn't what Koji was puzzled about. He furrowed his eyebrows as he asked me, his voice showing no sign that he was afraid of whatever the answer may be, "What do you mean you knew where I went? Did you see me leave or something?"

I shook my head, wishing he wouldn't ask so many questions that I didn't even know the answers to. Why couldn't I answer them anyway? Maybe we'd both figure out after a while. "I don't know what I did—or, apparently can do. But, maybe it's just one of those things that happen when you lo—Nothing! Maybe it's just one of those things that happen when stuff occurs inside your head that makes you see pretty colors!"

My face turned to the brightest shade of red the rainbow had. I'd stopped myself only seconds before there was no turning back. I would've beaten myself until I was identical to orange juice pulp if I'd let _that _slip out. If that had come out, I would've ran, and ran, and ran. Away.

I sighed before suggesting, trying to get some sort of intellectual answer out in this conversation, "Maybe it's because I want to kis—Will you shut up?!" It didn't work.

"What?!" Koji exclaimed; he must've thought I was talking about him when I shouted for myself to shut the heck up before I told Koji I liked him. But I was glad I shut myself up again.

"No! No, no, not you Koji!" I told him quickly, waving my hands in front of me in a sign of apology for the misunderstanding. I wouldn't have told him that. I just didn't want to blurt out that I kinda thought he was cute right now. "I'm just trying to get a smart answer out and it's not working okay?!" My blushing worsened when I realized what I was thinking had been what I'd actually said.

"Huh?" Koji looked up past me at Bokomon and Neemon. I turned and saw Bokomon standing there with a 'what the hell is wrong with you' look on his face while watching Neemon jump up and down in a really weird way.

"Do I jiggle around when I dance?" Neemon was asking him, an actual rattling sound coming from his red pants. I wondered what the hell he had in there besides his feet anyway.

I heard Koji growl as he said angrily to them before turning and running into the tall grass ahead of us, "Stop following me!"

I watched silently, not knowing what I was supposed to do as Koji ran one way, and Bokomon and Neemon followed after him. "Quickly now, follow him!" Bokomon said as they raced into the grass.

_"Didn't he just say not to follow him?" _I wondered to myself as I continued to stand there like I'd been dumbfounded. I clenched my teeth, deep in thought as I asked, knowing he couldn't really hear me, _"Should I follow you too, Koji?"_

_"I don't care if you do Toshiku, it's the Digimon that are bugging me. At least right now." _I almost stopped breathing when Koji's voice replied. A hazy picture of a cliff and one of Koji's feet by the edge appeared before my own eyes as all other sounds drained from my ears.

_"K-Koji? You…you can…hear me right now? This is...really not normal." _I clenched my fists, a sweet rhythm pacing itself over my skin and underneath it. It tickled every part of me; even my nose felt like someone was brushing a soft feather against it. What was really confusing me was how warm I felt right now; but it was tender warmth, like that of a bright scarlet ember.

_"You're telling me. What's going on anyway?" _Koji asked me, his voice suddenly starting to grow fainter, and the image becoming the grass before me and my own two feet.

When the image finally vanished from my range of sight, and Koji's voice sounded no more inside my head, I knew that whatever the heck that had been was gone, and it wasn't coming back right away either.

What…the hell…had that been anyway? Koji'd sounded like he'd been standing right next to me the whole time. But, he wasn't there. For all I knew, this might've had something to do with me being able to find Koji so easily.

Maybe…Wereraiomon being my beast spirit made it easy for me to find the others, like I could track them without even needing to spirit-evolve just because I knew. And maybe Raveamon could connect me to them…like some kind of telepathy. Or was this all just because Koji was Koji, and I had a bit of…emotion for him?

I tossed my head around, knocking all of my questions to the back of my head for now as I ran forward into the grass after the Digimon and Koji. They might need me, and I had no reason not to come along anyway. It's not like I really had anything better to do, and I'd told Bokomon that I would go along with the legends and protect the legendary warriors. Koji Minamoto was one of them…And the only one I could find right now.

I plunged through the grass, easily cutting through the thick blades of leafy greenness. I jumped out of the grass, colliding with Koji and the two Digimon who were perched up on his shoulders.

My eyes widened to more than four times their normal size as Koji started to uncontrollably move forward after I slammed into him. That wouldn't have been that bad, if there hadn't been a frickin' cliff right in front of us.

"Holy crap!" I exclaimed as we both leaned forward over the ledge. I noticed almost instantly after seeing Koji's foot that this was the exact same image I'd seen when I'd been telepathy-ing with Koji. "That thing's real?!"

"What is?!" Neemon asked as he leaned forward, apparently trying to find the cliff that we were talking about. Seriously, this Digi-yellow-veggie-rabbit had it in for me, was obsessed with hurting people, or was really just that dumb to not know that if he kept inching forward, we were all going to go tumbling down into the grassy sea below.

"No! Don't!" I shouted to Neemon as Koji started stumble forward. I grabbed Koji, wrapping my arms around him and trying to pull him away from the edge of the precipice, but he was just dragging me forward. "Lean back! Lean back!"

"Do you not see me doing that?!" Koji shouted back as he tried to bend backwards into my arms. If I, Koji, Neemon, or Bokomon moved forward, we were going over the border. Pretty much if anyone moved in that general direction everyone was going to take a fall down the cliff that had just decided that it was going to get in the way.

We were just about two feet away from the fall before us when I had a feeling we weren't going to be going tumbling down. Gravity wasn't going to decide to have us drop off the cliff and go down, and down, and down to the long grass below us.

But that didn't protect against Weregarumon.

"Hiya everybody!" The happy-go-lucky toddler Digimon shouted as he jumped onto my back, knocking me into Koji. And even after our best efforts, we all went tumbling down the frickin' cliff. But Weregarumon didn't seem to care. "Weeeeeeeeehuuuuu!"

I groaned a little as we hit the ground and rolled down a long sloping hill that was apparently right there. No, it couldn't have chosen to be two or three frickin' feet to the left, it had to be _right there_.

I heard Koji grunt as my head hit the back of his again, which I was starting to get a constant headache from. It didn't look like it, but Koji's head could actually be really hard quite often. And it hurt when you hit it.

The rushing grass stung my eyes as we finally plunged back out of the grass and into the open air for a few seconds, a rock before us being used as a ramp, instead of a frickin' stone like it was supposed to be. But, I guess if it was being a stone, we would've crashed into it instead of going over it, and that would've hurt more than the other option did.

But we went right back into the grass, crashing directly into a hard, rocky Digimon. I hit the darn thing head on; the stupid air current sent me into the Digimon fast, knocking it over.

I shook my head, ridding myself of the headache as I noticed that my arms were still wrapped around Koji's neck. My face turned a bright pink, but I didn't let go even as he sprung to his feet and jumped back with a small, unexpected cry after seeing the stone Digimon in front of him.

"Can we got go down the hilly thingy again?" Weregarumon asked me, his voice sheer happiness. Like it seemed to be all the time for whatever reason he had. But, it was nice to hear that he was content.

"No!" Koji and I both said loudly, not quite a shout. I could hear that Koji was a bit annoyed, probably because everyone was apparently afraid of the ground except for him, because he was the only one touching it right now.

I couldn't say I was really happy about it either, but now didn't really seem like a good time to get back down. That Digimon that seemed to be made out of rocks except for his yellow eyes was staring at us, and I didn't like it. And besides, I didn't really want to get back down; I kinda liked this closeness between Koji and me.

"What is that?" Neemon asked, also staring at the strangely built Digimon. It was completely made of gray stone, it even had frickin' stone eye brows for crying out loud. The only thing I hadn't expected of a Digimon like that was for it to have a magnifying glass.

"A Gotsumon," Bokomon, of course the one who would know, stated, not even needing to pull out his green book of useless information. "They're living rocks, but they're basically kids, and can be real trouble makers, let me tell you."

"No, no, we're not gonna let you tell us." I told him, shaking me head to back up my statement. If the info was useless before, it was going to be even more useless to us now of all times. Or, at least until he learned something that was actually important and wrote it down in there.

Koji gave the creature a slightly cautious look before asking, the words coming out slow like he was trying to guess what the Gotsumon's answer might actually be, "What do you want?"

"Nothing, so what do you guys want?" It replied, it's almost shrill voice reminding me of an annoying five-year old I'd once heard screaming as he ran down the street with a plastic bag over his head. There weren't any cars then, and the bag hadn't been tied on to him, so I figured he was just being a _kuso-atama_ and stayed away from him.

I was about to tell him that we didn't want anything, but Koji's bandana decided that now was a good time to aggravate me all by itself. The very tip that seemed to be able to puff up without Koji needing to put that much effort into it tickled my nose, making me sneeze.

A distant feeling of irritation filled me and I heard a more resonant voice in my head. It was still Koji though; he thought to himself, probably 'knowing' I couldn't hear him, _"Toshi better not have sneezed on me…"_

_"I turned my head!" _I defended myself quickly, my face turning a slight pink. I knew that had sounded incredibly stupid, but I hadn't sneezed on him. He wasn't green, or anything close to it, so I knew _if_ I had been aiming to sneeze on him, I missed.

I shook my head slightly, knocking the sneezing thoughts out through my ears before asking the Gotsumon who was apparently still standing there and staring, "Nothing, what does it matter to you anyway?"

I glared slightly at the rock Digimon as he scowled back at me; this guy seemed like he had it in for everyone he met. But I guess with how everything was turning out for the worse every single day in his own world, I can see how attitudes would change.

Bokomon let out a slightly irritated groan before saying to me and Koji, "Well, if you're not going to ask then I will," _I didn't know I was supposed to ask anything. _He turned to the Gotsumon, who was still glaring at me and not blinking. "Can you tell us how to get to the Forest Terminal?"

"I thought he already knew." I mumbled to myself, recalling every time when Bokomon would say, 'this way' or 'just a little farther and we should be at the Forest Terminal'. What had happened to that? Did he get that part of the book wet and the ink ran or something?

"Yeah, I could tell ya," The Digimon replied in a ha-ha-you-suck tone that made me growl immediately. "But I'm not gonna! Ha, ha!" And with that he turned from us and ran away from us farther into the tall grass field.

"You little _kuso-atama_!" I shouted after him as I jumped from Koji's back and sprinted after the rock head, swiftly slicing through the tall grass. I pushed the lengthy strands out of my way as I put my feet down with a harder force than usual; I didn't want to get stuck in anything that the grass was hiding, and I wanted any small Digimon in my path right now to know that I couldn't see it if it were there.

Namely Weregarumon who might decide to leap from my shoulder and land underneath my feet. Even though the fluffy little guy could get pretty irritating practically all the time, he was my and Koji's problem after all, and I didn't want to step on the twerp.

"Toshiku!" Koji called after me as he ran to catch up. I glanced back and saw him dashing through the grass, pushing it away in a stroke-like motion. The movement reminded me of a song: Dashing through the snow, with Digimon on our backs we go, chasing Gotsumon all the way! Actually, he reminded me to create one.

"Don't do something stupid!" He called to me as I stopped to let him catch up. The statement sent a small course of disdain down my spine, but I didn't show it. I knew Koji had a reason for what he was saying. "I don't want you doing something without using your head first. You might get hurt; we don't know what that Gotsumon guy is all about."

"KojKoj," I said with an attempt at a reassuring smile as he strode along side me. The sound of his caution for my safety alone was enough to make me blush. "I'm Toshiku, how many times have I done something dumb—never mind, don't answer that. I'll give you that one. But don't worry about me; I'll be fine. Trust me; nothing's gonna happen with that Gotsumon."

_"Easier said than done…"_ Koji grumbled inwardly, an instilled worry showing through in his tone. I frowned; I didn't want Koji to be afraid I would be hurt. I would have to show him that there was no way anything was going to happen. Somehow.

But Koji's concern for me somewhat frightened me; I didn't want to hurt him. I didn't want anything to hurt him. But to protect him, I'd have to get hurt sometimes. And…if he really was afraid I was going to be attacked, me getting hurt would hurt him too. Wasn't there a way to assure him everything would be okay, that nothing was going to go wrong as long as I had something to say about it?

Maybe…I could…hug him. That might show him that I wasn't afraid of whatever harms lay in my destiny's way, even though there was no other way to describe how I felt about the future. I didn't want him to think I was worrying about what might become of myself, or everyone else if I was ever to fail. I didn't want him to know a lot of things; the only thing he needed to know was that I wouldn't leave his side, and that I would try my hardest to be what he needed me to be when he needed it.

But even that I couldn't tell him, I didn't have the guts to say that. The Three were right; I was too weak to do anything. I couldn't even tell Koji what he meant to me. I was pathetic, and I had to change. One dilemma: how the frickin' hell was I supposed to change who I'd always been?

I hadn't noticed I'd kept running after telling Koji not to worry, until that is I looked back up from the ground in time to smack into a giant boulder. I fell back on the ground with a loud thud. If that Gotsumon saw that, he was laughing his stupid head right off. When it fell, I was gonna kick it.

"Papa!" Weregarumon cried out as Koji came up and saw me on the ground. Weregarumon jumped up and put his front paws on Koji's leg, just barely reaching his knee. "A giant boulder just jumped out of the sky and hit Mama! Can I kill it? Can I kill it? Can I kill it?"

Koji shook his head in disbelief of the little twerp's incessant inquiry as I got up from the ground and jumped up onto the rock before me in hopes of maybe seeing where Gotsumon had gone. And hoping that Koji hadn't seen that collision.

But I saw no sign of the Gotsumon anywhere I looked. The dude was made out of rocks, how could he have possibly gone a mile in one measly minute?

"Koji," I called back down from my spot up on the rock. I looked back down at him, getting a good view of his puffed up bandana from here. "Is Gotsumon down there? I don't see him from up here."

"He couldn't have gone far." Koji replied as he looked around, but the fact that Neemon and Bokomon were still on his shoulders limited the range of his sight. And then there was Weregarumon. The little dingus had leapt up and placed himself directly on top of Koji's head.

I smiled slightly; either Koji was like fly paper for Digimon, or he was just that unlucky. I could just picture him covered from head to toe in bright orange fly paper, all kinds of little Digimon stuck to him.

"Look!" Bokomon shouted out, his vocal waves hitting the rock directly. I saw a certain bump in it twitch, and I stared at it intently. Maybe it would move again; could that be Gotsumon? "We know you're here!"

"Kinda." Neemon added in his normal, unknowing tone of voice. I wondered if there was an actual word for how stupid he could be. If it was some kind of contagious disease, I didn't want him that close to Koji. But it would explain why Takuya's stupidity was getting worse each day I knew him.

I got down on my hands and knees to get a closer look at the strange mound on the rock. I reached out with a hand to touch it, but quickly pulled my hand back when it moved again. I looked at Koji; I couldn't believe they hadn't seen it move. It inched almost four frickin' feet to the left for crying out loud.

"Look kid!" Koji yelled, even though he was facing the wrong direction, which really didn't make him look very smart. "We're not going anywhere okay? Just come out!"

"Ohhh, okay," A complaining groan came from the mound I'd been staring at as the color of the rock darkened into the granite-ish color of Gotsumon. I shook my head; he was such a pain in the butt, especially since he'd been right in front of us the whole time. "But I'm still not gonna tell you anything."

"You are just a little rat!" _Yeah, nice one Bokomon. You called him a big toothed vermin. That's going down a new road. _"I don't think I've ever seen such a disrespectful Digimon!"

"Calm down Bokomon," I said, getting back up onto my feet, slightly disappointed that we did find the annoying guy. Honestly the guy looked like he was ready to eat one of us, even though his teeth—if those nubs in his mouth were even supposed to be teeth at all—weren't exactly pointy, or threatening. Just, big. "I don't think it really matters. If he's not going to tell us, I wouldn't break my back over trying to get him to."

"Huh?" My nose twitched as a strong earthy smell touched my nose, and Gotsumon sensed something I couldn't see. Gotsumon jumped up higher on the rock next to me, nearly causing me to go tumbling down as Koji jumped up about half way on the boulder. Gotsumon had obviously felt something, and it wasn't good.

I turned in the direction Gotsumon was facing; my head slowly cocked to the side as a large chunk of rock fell away from the rest of the formation, causing a collapse of half the formation, all in an eruption of data.

"Uhh…" I knew this was probably a very obvious question, but in the Digital World, could you really ever know what was? "Has that ever happened before Gotsumon?! Are rocks really supposed to do that?! Or was that Grumblemon, 'cause I smell something really bad!"

"It's Grumblemon!" Koji said, clarifying it for me, ignoring my first two questions for good reason. Though, I think the bad smell part should've spelt all of it out for me in the first place. Nothing in the Digital World smelt worse than Grumblemon—or Gigasmon for that matter—and for reasons other than the fact that he was the legendary warrior of Earth.

"No!" Gotsumon cried as he jumped from the rock and ran towards Grumblemon and the rock formations. I could tell by his voice that somewhere near there was his home.

"Hey, just where do you think you're going?" Koji called to Gotsumon, the creature now in tears. I shoved my hand in my pocket and wrapped my fingers tightly around my D-Tector. I lost to Grumblemon once; I wasn't going to do it again. With my beast spirit, I could delete him. And with Koji here, there was no way that I was going to lose to that _kuso-atama_.

Gotsumon's words were muffled by his sobs, but I could hear him like he had a microphone. I tightened my grip around my D-Tector; Gotsumon's sadness was giving me strength through my anger. But if I was going to use my beast spirit, I had to be completely calm, or I would lose it for sure. "He can't get away with this! I won't let him!"

I took a deep breath as Koji said to Gotsumon as he pulled out his D-Tector, a look of strength and confidence on his face, "Are you crazy?! You can't fight that guy! Leave him to me!"

Gotsumon looked back at us, tears in his bright yellow-colored eyes. There was a slight skeptical look to his expression, but he clearly wanted to see how Koji was going to go around doing that. "To you?"

I grinned as I reached down and pulled Koji up next to me on the rock by the back of his blue sweatshirt, Neemon and Bokomon jumping off of his shoulders as I did. I blushed at what I'd thought of to tell him, but I knew that it would get my point across. "If you think you're going on alone, think again Koji Minamoto. I'll miss you if you're gone for that long; I'm coming with you."

Koji looked back at me for a moment, probably trying to think of a way to argue, a way to keep me back here so nothing would happen like I'd told him nothing would. I just hadn't known that freakin' Grumblemon would show up right then.

He opened his mouth, finding a way to disagree. But he stopped when I struggled to smile against what I felt like, everything except Koji becoming like a haze. _"KojKoj, nothing will happen. But I don't want you going on alone. If you were to get hurt, I won't forgive myself if I'm not there to keep him away from you until you're okay."_

At first there was a silence in Koji's thoughts. But then his voice sounded in my head, a slight aggravation to it, but there was a slight satisfaction to the reverberation of it, _"Fine, but if I tell you to get out of there, you go. Alright?"_

I stared at him for a moment, neither of our eyes revealing any kind of emotion. The connection was now broken; I hadn't wanted Koji to be able to feel what I sensed right now anyway. I didn't know whether to nod and just get going, or what. I couldn't give my word to him if I might not leave.

Heck, there wasn't any 'maybes' at all. If Koji told me to leave and let him fight on his own, I would just get out of his range of sight at the very most. The least I would do would be to see if Koji had any reason at all to be telling me to go, and depending on what I found to support his command, I'd stay.

But Koji was waiting with a slight impatience for my response, which drilled me out of my inner confrontation with options. I, even though I would probably regret it later, nodded my head and pulled out my D-Tector, my fingers aching from gripping it so tightly.

I gave Koji a confused look as he grasped my wrist as belts of data surrounded my outstretched hand. The data left my sight as he said, pulling my arm back down to my side, "Maybe you shouldn't. I know you want to be able to handle your spirit, but practicing while we're fighting Grumblemon is not a good idea Toshi."

"Koji—" I tried to argue with him gently, but he shook his head. Koji wasn't someone I could easily persuade into anything, he was smart enough to know how to reply to me without pissing me off. Though, I didn't see why Koji would have any reason to tick me off anyway; I could never find myself angry with him for whatever reason.

I stopped trying to argue with him after a swift wind blew towards both of us and he spirit-evolved into the legendary wolf-warrior of Light, the bright sunlight being reflected off his white armor. He jumped high up into the clear air; the moment his feet touched the ground he was off like a bullet towards Grumblemon.

I closed my eyes as another gust of wind blew my dark hair away from my face. This wind was so much nicer than that of my own world; there was no exhaust from car engines to pollute it, only the occasional Trailmon, but they were living things and didn't use any fossil fuels. I loved this world, and there was no way I was going to let Grumblemon or anyone else destroy any more of it if I could help it.

I clenched my fists, single bands of data surrounding each of them as I tightened the pressure. I could feel more pressure exerting from my shoulders as I crossed the bands, data covering my whole body in blue and evolving me to Raveamon.

I flexed my wings, ruffling the feathers with a thunderous echo following the swift movement. I clenched my black gloved, taloned fists again; feeling and hearing my strong knuckles crack as I did.

I slammed my leg into the rock and raced forward after Koji, striding along side him after catching up in a short amount of time. I glanced to the side, knowing that I couldn't help but admire the warrior of Light; if there was anyone I could fight with, I'd want it to be with Koji.

I growled deeply when Grumblemon's ugly figure sucking up more data came into my range of bird's eye sight. But whenever I saw that thing, or Gigasmon for that matter, I wished I didn't have it at all.

"Grumblemon!" Koji snarled as we both stopped only meters away from the gnome Digimon that followed that _kusotare _Cherubimon. But anything that even followed Cherubimon was just as sickening as Cherubimon himself.

The _yarou_ turned around and grinned, glancing at both of us as he did. "It you," He said, assuring me that his grammar hadn't gotten any better than the first time I saw his blimp-nose. I wanted to punch it so bad. "That good. I have been looking for you!"

"With that nose in front of your eyes I'm not surprised you didn't find us sooner!" I retorted with a sharp snarl, my eyes drilling daggers deep into Grumblemon's beady little maggot eyes. I could claw them out if I wanted to, but he wasn't worth the effort.

He growled lightly, almost like—no, not almost; he wasn't afraid in the least of either of us. He turned to face us directly as he said, his sentence structure and tone causing me to struggle to even hear what the hell he was saying. "You get away once before,"

Grumblemon took a few steps closer; I clenched my fists, little beams of sparkling energy swirling suavely out from them. One false step and I was going to slash him to bits. "But if I defeat and get spirits, Cherubimon be much grateful to Grumblemon!"

I watched motionless, my eyes wide with my own fear as Grumblemon slide evolved into Gigasmon, his pain in the _oshiri_ of a beast spirit. He was a little less than twice Raveamon's—er, my size.

This wasn't going well; I shouldn't be in my human spirit, I should be kicking Grumblemon's butt with my own beast spirit, no matter how hard it was to control. But I'd told Koji I wouldn't, and I now I had to stick to that promise.

The energy encircling my fists solidified and I gripped the swords as Gigasmon—despite the fact that he probably weighed more than a two ton behemoth—jumped high up into the air about my and Koji's heads. I knew this had to be some kind of an attack; the way that he had his fists grasped together like he was holding an invisible mallet made me sure of it.

He did a surprisingly athletic flippy-thing as he began to come back down at us with startling, bomb-like force. Like one of those giant, black, round bombs you see all the time in cartoons. Most times, it's got 'boom' written in all capital letters on the side you can see. Yeah, that's what Gigasmon was; except, brown, and…naked.

Koji pulled out his two light sabers, reminding me again of Star Wars, even though that should've been the very last thing I was thinking of right now. Even Sesame Street contributed to this more than Star Wars. Gigasmon was Elmo; I had to kill him now before he and his giant orange nose could kill me, and steal everyone's spirits.

Koji spun the duo beams of brightness around like a helicopter rudder out before him in Gigasmon's direction as I rushed at the earthy colored rhino-Digimon with an even bigger nose than his human spirit had. Though, the human spirit's was more rounded, and Gigasmon's nose had a bit of a funky point on the very tip of it.

"Lobo-kendo!"

"Take this you prehistoric piece of _kuso_!" I shouted as I rammed my swords into Gigasmon's side as he brought his fists down hard on the ground between Koji and me. I couldn't help but notice that Koji had sounded much smarter than I had. Though, that happened _all_ the time.

Dust and bright light flew into my sight as I was thrown back. I probably would've gone tumbling into one of the many crevices Gigasmon's power-soaked attack had created. My wing span was only barely short enough that I would've fallen into it and not gotten stuck; but I dug my talons into the ground and stayed on my feet.

When the dust blocking my view faded, I saw Gigasmon crouched on the ground just ahead of me. That attack had been strong, but it had barely sapped any of his energy. Was this really what we were going to find in the other legendary warriors? Would they be just as strong, or would we be able to compare our own strengths to them?

And if we couldn't, how much harder would it be to defeat them? Not to mention the Three combatants I'd come to know: Sentimon, Obstimon, and Vigomon. If I couldn't fight one of them by myself with only my human spirit, what would I be able to do against all three of them when they showed me their beast spirits? And right now…what was I going to be able to do against Gigasmon?

Gigasmon's deep, infuriating voice dragged me back out of my many questions as he taunted me, "Aha, birdie all by self now! And look like birdie hasn't gotten stronger since last time Gigasmon fight!"

His remark made me immediately remember Sentimon's whip slashing a cut onto my face. I raised my hand up to my cheek, the welt the flog had made now a small, bright red scar. I wondered what everyone else would think when they saw it the next time I spirit-evolved. At least I had more evidence to give for the Three not being figments of my imagination.

"Huh?" I looked up past Gigasmon as the air became fuzzy at least a mile or so behind him. For a moment, I had no idea what it was, I couldn't even think of anything for me to be able to guess. "Did you call for back-up or something, ya brown, over-sized Oompa Loompa?"

Gigasmon turned around following my question to look at whatever I was staring at. But if I couldn't figure out what the heck it was right off the bat, he wouldn't have been able to either. And that's where I had an advantage. "What birdie staring for? Gigasmon see nothing."

I had to act fast if I wanted to get even more of a lead against my lumbering, big-nosed opponent. He swiveled his head around just in time to see my fist as it lurched forward with the speed of light into his hot-dog shaped nose.

The impact sent him back a foot or so, and I hoped that might knock him off of the little platform-rock we were fighting on, but suck a circumstance didn't happen. He lunged back at me like the two ton behemoth I knew he was; if he were to fall off now, I knew he planned on taking me with him.

He smacked me hard with one long, heavy arm, but I knew that even though he'd hit me with enough force to knock me from my levitating spot in the air, he had barely used any of the strength I knew he had from our last encounter. He was just messing with me, using as little strength as he needed to just to send me agony until I couldn't take any more and gave up my spirits.

I struggled back onto my feet, my sides now aching from being walloped my Gigasmon, and landing on the ground. But I couldn't just stop; if he took my beast spirit, he'd be completely unstoppable. If he got my human spirit, not only would that make him all the more powerful, I would die.

AncientRaiafemon had made it clear that she'd saved me using the human spirit of Moon. If I lost it...I knew that there was nothing but it keeping me alive. I couldn't lose it, if I did, who else was left to protect the legendary warriors? Who would be there to help them keep going?

Who was going to be the bait when they needed to get away? There wouldn't be any other way; if they needed time, I was the only one they could risk to give it to them. I was the only one _I _would spare to get them what they needed.

"There you are!" I looked down at another one of the little platforms and saw Koji, still in his human spirit's figure lying motionless. Gotsumon was trying to get him to stand up. Gigasmon had seen them; and now he was going after them.

I had to act fast; Gigasmon was already on his way to them, moving faster than I expected that thing to be able to move. I mean, it was like he'd eaten forty-two and a half bear claws and they'd all gotten stuck inside him. Especially in the nose area.

I closed me eyes and concentrated, the electric data beginning to encircle me as I attempted my first slide evolution. I knew I was breaking my promise to Koji, but maybe he didn't have to know this time.

And even if he did, if I did it so I could save him, he would forgive me. He might not tell me, but now that I knew I could get inside his mind without him even being aware, I would know if he really did or not.

Before I knew it, my thick fur was being ruffled by the minute breeze. I opened my jaws and let out the loudest sound I could utter as I rushed after Gigasmon. If I didn't make it to him in time, Koji and Gotsumon were done for. But that was not an option.

I glided easily over all of the crevices; my armor was heavy, but Wereraiomon's legs were powerful, and the were-beast's body was thick with tough muscle. And even places were the armor wasn't protecting me, the thick black pelt that completely covered my slender, wolf-like body was substantial; the hairs themselves were also firm against attack, but soft to the touch.

Gigasmon had himself a problem.

I stopped along side Gigasmon, turning on my front paws and ramming into him, my golden claws digging into the dirt and helping me to propel forward. It barely took any of my energy to get him away, though he was about my size.

I pushed him as far as I could before he broke the cycle and tried to slam a rock-hard fist into my head. He hit me directly in the muzzle; I could taste blood due to my sensitive tongue, but I didn't understand why. Digimon didn't have blood. Or, at least, regular Digimon didn't. Maybe it just had to do with me technically being human.

Gigasmon threw another punch at my head, but seeing the on-coming hazard, I did what most people—and Digimon—usually do when they see a big thing flying at their head: duck.

I bobbed my head down for only the moment his fist went past. After that, his arm was free game. I snapped my teeth onto his arm, leaving gashes from my teeth as I ripped at him. He cried out and tried desperately to pull his arm out of my grip, but all that he did was make everything worse for himself.

My grip tightened and the pain he was feeling worsened the faster and harder he slammed his fist over my head. He and his slow mind finally figured out that if he punched me directly in my sensitive nose, I would let go.

I staggered back, my nose now completely desensitized and numb. I ran my long pink tongue over it, the bland taste of my own blood and fur covering my taste buds. But it didn't hurt, I didn't feel anything. I had no idea if that was good or not though. Most times when something's numb, it either means it's gone or it's not working the way it should be (a.k.a. you're hurt).

I shook my head before looking back at Gigasmon with a devious little animal-grin on my face. I felt better than I should've right then, and probably shouldn't have been acting so cocky, but I did anyway, "Was that supposed to hurt? That felt more like a Love Tap!"

Gigasmon growled angrily and grumbled as he lunged forward at me, fist rushing at me again, "Birdie talking awfully tough for Digimon that Gigasmon going defeat now!"

I locked my claws into the ground before raising my head in a howl-like position. I was just a breath away from being victorious. There was no possible way that Gigasmon was getting away this time. I would make him pay for what he did to the KaratsukiNumemon. "Innovative Star!"

I threw my head to the side, the ball of energy flying rapidly at Gigasmon, who seemed utterly shocked at what was coming towards him. He tried to get out of the way, but he moved too late, and my attack was moving too fast.

It collided with him head on, his nose absorbing a lot of the main energy the attack had sustained within. But it was enough to reveal his precious data to me, both his human spirit and beast spirit figurines now becoming visible. If I acted now, and fast, I could get them both, and no one would ever be hurt by the spirits of Earth again.

I slide evolved hastily to my human spirit, and clenching my D-Tector in my fist, I moved over to the discolored, data surrounded figure. I held the edge up to the stream. "Fractal code, digi—"

I cried out as something whipped over to me and kicked my face. I fell to the ground, and my D-Tector skidded away from me. I lunged out after it, trying to catch the sliding device before it went over one of the edges of a crevice. But I was too slow, and let out another cry as whatever kicked me dragged me back. I watched unwillingly as my D-Tector went tumbling into a crevice.

Bokomon was gonna be so pissed when I came back and told him I'd been lucky enough to have my D-Tector thrown into a hole in the ground. If I got back to tell him that at all.

But right now, the D-Tector wasn't something I really needed to worry about. What was dragging me backwards was something I might want to know first. I couldn't go and get my D-Tector or fight anything if my human spirit was kinda missing a limb.

I flipped myself over before ramming my free leg into whatever was digging its claws into my left ankle. My foot came into contact with spiked armor, the spike going through my boot and into my foot itself.

I cried out and immediately pulled my leg back, gripping my now aching foot. I glared up at the Digimon that had a hold on my other leg and was now the reason I couldn't get Gigasmon's data. Vigomon was standing before me, his fist wrapped around my ankle tightly, cutting off any circulation to my foot.

"Get off!" I shouted as I shot up from the ground with a blast from my wing, taking a swing at Vigomon as I did. But he was ready, and letting go of my leg, he swung his own fist and sent me back down to the ground.

Now that I had my other leg back from him, I scooted back as far and as fast as I could. I got back onto my feet quickly as Vigomon rushed at me with the speed of nothing I'd ever seen before.

He pulled a sword from a sheath connected to the dark blue armor on his right leg, and slashed at me. I barely had enough time to lean back and out of his long sword's reach as he called out, "Força Endeavor!"

But he was still better at fighting than I was at evading his skillful attacks and attempts to sever my head from my shoulders where I wanted my head to be. Even though I'd leaned back enough to have my head out of the range of the attack, Vigomon whacked me over the head with the dull blade, and I fell to the ground again.

I tried to get up again, but he placed a large, clawed foot on top of me. I struggled underneath him, but he was strong, and his foot was heavy. I tried to push his foot off of my chest and get back up, but his red claws curled towards my throat and the tip of his long, sharp sword found its way to the only part of my neck that wasn't covered by thin or think armor.

"Don't even try," Vigomon told me coldly, a sudden pulling electric charge rippling throughout my frame, making me cry out loudly. If this was JP's sick idea of a joke, it wasn't funny. It felt as if Vigomon was allowing all of the strength that I had to seep out of me and into him and become his own.

I continued to yell as my energy continued to be drained from me. Even through my screaming I could hear Vigomon's voice. He sounded different from yesterday, maybe not as eager for a fight now that he knew whatever their plan was. Or was he just trying to mess with me and take my spirits like Gigasmon.

"No, Toshiku," I tried to open my eyes and stifled my own screaming as Vigomon began to speak. He may be trying to kill me for something I didn't even know I did or didn't do, but if I listened, maybe he could answer my questions. "I'm not going to take your spirits now, however much you may beg for me to take those burdens when I'm done with you.

"Now is not the time, apparently. You see, Lord Cherubimon can be quite precise when it comes to his plans, and taking your spirits right now is not something that he has in line for me—or even Sentimon and Obstimon yet. But time will pass, and you will become more of a threat than you are right now," He chuckled mockingly at me, taking even more of my life and making me cry out again, louder this time. The pain was starting to become unbearable, and I didn't know how much longer I could keep myself from de-spirit-evolving.

My data started to reveal itself to Vigomon as I felt everything around me begin to fade into blackness. I could no longer hear myself screaming, but I knew I still was. But if Vigomon was telling me the truth, maybe he wouldn't take my spirits. Or had he just been lying in an attempt to get me to lower my guard.

"And as you can see," I could hear Vigomon say in an utterly mocking tone, his voice ringing mercilessly, impending on my eardrums like nuclear bombs going off all around me as my data struggled to return to me. But Vigomon was still sucking out my life force, and my data couldn't find a way around his power to return to me. "You are no threat to me, or any of those that Cherubimon commands—"

Despite the knowledge that my data was all but gone, and Vigomon's vacuum seeking my existence's end was increasing its electric power, the agony now killing me on its own, I got up from my spot on the ground. I clenched my fists as Vigomon increased the amount of power in whatever attack this was as I shouted in between screams, "If you want a threat,"

I pounded the ground in front of me a single time, the rocks laying in my path jutting upwards in little volcano-like shapes. I shouted as I slammed a fist into the ground again and the little mountain shapes surged upwards again, before more came up from the ground and rushed in a jagged line towards Vigomon, a single one coming up right beneath him and knocking him off his feet for once instead of me.

I stood up straight again as the electric hurting sensations pounded through me faster and more power-filled than before. I cried out again, but this time to show Vigomon that right now, I wasn't afraid of him taking my data, even if he did plan on taking it now. "Then I'll give you a threat! I'll make myself into something all of you will be afraid of!"

But Vigomon seemed more fascinated than afraid of my sudden use of the ground to show how much power was left for him to take away from me. "So Lord Cherubimon was right; Ranamon had told me not to doubt him as I do. You've discovered for yourself the _verre_ of Earth-power, I could take it from you and doom you to your certain death—"

"What the hell are you talking about?" I interrupted him, whatever power I'd just had still throbbing in my veins. Otherwise, that pain was still Vigomon taking all of my energy. "What do you mean '_verre_ of Earth-power'? Why don't you say anything that I understand?! Tell me!"

Vigomon stared at me for a moment; he did nothing but stare back into my answer-awaiting eyes. I didn't understand why he was doing this, and why he wasn't doing what I expected him to. He did attack me once, but it wasn't meant to kill me, and he didn't want my data.

Or…was it that he wanted it, but was forbidden to take it? Sentimon…she'd had the chance to take my data, but had backed off and waited. She could've beaten my beast spirit, I was sure of it. And then when I was all alone, standing in front of them just last night, they'd had the chance to kill me, and it wouldn't have taken more than a few moments.

If Vigomon was telling me all this _kuso_ about it not being the right time truthfully, maybe I should listen to him about the verre. If that could make me a threat to him and the other two, maybe that would frighten them off, and keep them away from the others.

"Hmmm, 'tell me' you ask…" Vigomon was obviously thinking about whether or not he should really tell me what I was asking of him. He was observably pondering the thought of explaining. I wondered if he was trying to see from my side, or if he was still screwing with me.

I cried up with surprise and in pain as Vigomon's fist crashed into my face, leaving its mark on the same cheek as Sentimon had hit. I fell back onto the ground, my side burning from how many times I'd landed on it.

When I looked back up, Vigomon was nowhere to be seen, but his voice drifted through the air to my ears; there was a chilled, mocking tone building up his words. "No, you shall remain in the dark. Like you always have been, and always will be. You have nothing to bring you up from how low you are, and you'll never have it—"

"Get away from me!" I shouted into the air as I dove away to hide from his voice. And find my D-Tector while I was at it anyway. But in my rush, my wings wouldn't cooperate with me, and I flailed just to keep from falling to the center of the Digital World.

I grunted as I curled my talons into a ledge down deep in the crevice. If I just stayed in my spirit-evolution form, I could pull myself up, and maybe claw my way out of here. Or maybe I could fly if my wingspan was small enough; this crevice might be different than the ones I saw before, and I might get stuck if this crack wasn't big enough.

If only things could be that simple for me. I didn't have enough strength to stay in Raveamon's form, and I de-spirit-evolved into my own form—the one that was prone to disadvantages, and apparently falling down stuff today.

I groaned as I tried to pull myself up the rocks. There weren't very many places that I could hold on and push myself up without having to wonder if that rock was going to be the one that fated me to a very long fall.

I stopped dead in my tracks and nearly let go of the ledge I'd taken a hold of as everything became foggy and everyone's voices rang in my head—everyone, except Koji's though.

I could hear Takuya shouting inside his head, wondering where I was right now. JP was saying something about now would be as good a time as any for me to sweep in and help them out. Tommy was just shouting my name. And Zoe was mumbling in her thoughts that if there was ever a time she wanted me somewhere, it was with them, and now.

I closed my eyes and shook the haze from my head; they needed my help, and now. But I couldn't help them without my D-Tector. Where ever the hell it ran off to. I hadn't known that if I opened my eyes I would see the darn thing.

I growled, cussing beyond belief in my head as I grabbed it and shoved it back into my pocket. I didn't care that I needed it, now, I wanted more than anything just to throw it as hard and as far as possible.

I pulled myself (finally) back out of the crevice, collapsing out of exhaustion on the ground just beside it. But I forced myself onto my feet, and spirit-evolved into Wereraiomon, but even then I was dead-tired. Maybe if both I and the spirit were tired, there wouldn't be any risk of me losing control of it.

I raced across the Gotsumon's village towards where I knew everyone was. I didn't have to see something explode there; I could smell burning, and the distinct smell of lavender. Takuya. Zoe. _"Don't worry guys,"_ I thought to myself as I lengthened my strides as far as my spine would allow me to. I would be where they were soon. _"I'm on my way. And Koji, where ever you are…I'm sorry I broke my promise at least three times now, I didn't want to…really."_

Sooner than expected I felt long, soft grass beneath my padded feet. I'd gotten to them quickly. But the problem was on the ground; it was in the air. Gigasmon was here, and everyone except for Koji had spirit-evolved and were now falling out of the sky due to Gigasmon having kicked their butts pretty bad, and pretty easily.

Tommy's (in Kumamon's form though) data had already revealed itself. "Kumamon!" Zoe—now the flying fairy wonder—cried out as she raced over to him. She shoved Tommy out of Gigasmon's reach as he lunged up to take in the data and the human spirit of Ice.

I quickly slide evolved to my own human spirit before jumping up into the air and making a dash for both of them. If I didn't get them away from Gigasmon, neither of them would have their spirits, and the whole Digital World would just sink even farther into the hole it had dug for itself.

Zoe crashed into Gigasmon's tough arm and she screamed. I didn't want to have to save her. She'd been stupid and hadn't gotten away from Gigasmon fast enough. But that didn't change the fact that she held the spirit of a legendary warrior, and that made the effort in saving her worth it.

Zoe's data was now exposed, and her lavender, pixie human spirit was becoming shrouded with black. Just like I had been when Vigomon refused to take my data only a few moments ago. But Gigasmon wouldn't refuse; he wanted the other legendary warriors' spirits now. And he wasn't planning to wait.

I pumped the air one final time, surging forward as fast as possible. I smacked Zoe down to the ground, just in time to have Gigasmon notice he wasn't going to get her spirit right now. Or ever.

"Get out of the way!" I shouted to Zoe as I pushed her with a slightly harder force in order to get her back to the ground. The others were down there, they could see if she was okay until I was done with this _yarou_. "He'll kill you!"

I braced myself to fight Gigasmon, but he sent a giant fist into my face, knocking me out of the sky. It wouldn't have hurt as much as it did nor done as much damage as it had if I hadn't already fought him once, and then had practically all of my life drained out of me and into Vigomon.

Gigasmon hammered on my again and again, pushing my motionless body throughout the air before gravity took me down to the ground. I landed facedown, hard, my eyes closed and not wanting to open no matter how hard I tried. There was nothing left in me that could fight.

I could hear everyone shouting for me to get up, hoping I would be okay. But I wasn't. This was it. This was how I was going to die. There was no way I could beat Gigasmon now.

I struggled to open my eyes for a moment as an annoying, distant-sounding clunking noise came softly to my ears. I could see nothing but a fog around me, besides the grass that was tickling my nose as I breathed in and out. My eyes closed again before I could get a better look at everything around me.

"Huh?" I mumbled as I neared an unconscious sleep that I did not want to have right now. Something warm and fuzzy had curled up near my face. "What is…this…?"

I was even more surprised to find that there was something else soft with it. And it smelled just like Koji. "K-…Koji…"

I took the soft material in my hands blindly and held it close to my face. I didn't know what was protecting me, and I didn't know what the fuzzy warm thing was. But I knew that I had felt safe now that my head was filled with butterfly-feeling thoughts of Koji filled my head.

His face was the last thing my semi-conscious mind saw before passing into bleak nothingness.


	12. Chapter 11: History in the Making

**Okay, these just seem to go on and on...I hope I'm not boring you guys with it. But anyway, sorry this took so long to complete; all the chapters have been kinda slow going. And uh, sorry about the kinda abrupt ending, I needed something to go from for the next chapter. So, have fun reading. (:**

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Chapter 11: History in the Making

I opened my eyes slowly, letting my pupils adjust gradually to the bright, sunny lighting surrounding me. The air was warm, and both felt good against my skin. I'd never really noticed how nice it could feel when you were really tired.

I could hear everyone else talking, their words reminding me of yesterday as they spoke of Gigasmon. Anger kindled within me with the remembrance of my pain and exhaustion when Zoe and Takuya had called for me. But it cooled slowly as I also recalled the fact that I had saved Zoe from losing her spirit. Maybe if we both kept that in mind we might actually get along and make everything better for everyone.

I knew I wouldn't be able to fix everything and make it all better, but I could try, couldn't I? I could try to be friends with them. If I would just swallow a bit more of my pride, a bit more of my own arrogance to the way in which I could hurt them without even knowing, maybe she would try too.

My eyes shot open as a few little happy green leafy-like guys jumped up onto my stomach and chest, instant pain coursing through me as they jumped up and down. It felt as if they were stabbing me with each jump.

I cried out, my attempt to stifle it barely doing anything. "G-Get off!" I swatted at one of them on impulse, but they stopped jumping and looked at me with concern. I quickly stopped my hand before it struck one of them, and let it fall limply back to my side. I couldn't hit something that looked that innocent.

My heart melted within me for even thinking about hurting one of them as they chimed in unison, their little voices sad and perfectly in synch while I breathed in short and quick trying to calm the pain, "We're sorry. Are you okay? Did we hurt you?"

I shook my head slowly, not wanting to cause myself anymore pain that I already had whenever I turned my head. "No, no. I'm alright, you didn't. I'm just a bit sore from yesterday," I gulped, desperately holding back another cry. "But would you mind getting off of me? You're kinda bending my ribs in a way they shouldn't be going."

They smiled again before jumping off of me one by one. Even as they moved they had a little bit of a rhythmic pattern to them. If that was the way all baby Digimon were, then I hoped that Weregarumon didn't have a twin. Though, it would be kinda nice having two of them, then Weregarumon wouldn't get into so much trouble all by himself if he had another head thinking along with him. Unless they both thought that the bad option was the one that seemed more fun.

"Look who finally decided she was gonna wake up!" I turned my head to see JP glaring at me. What had I done to piss him off now? I'd come and helped them when they called, I'd saved his precious Zoe from losing her spirit. What could be wrong now?

I ignored his ticked off remark as I glanced at everyone else. Zoe was sitting only a little ways from him, staring sadly at her D-Tector. Something was wrong, and it was about yesterday. Koji was the only one on his feet, leaning against the tree I was propped up by. Everyone else was sitting in a circle thing, or some kind of oval. Or…shape.

When I looked at JP again, he locked his dagger-glaring eyes with mine, and said in the same pissed tone, "Why is it that you're always the one who's sleeping while everyone else is fighting?!"

I growled; he was talking about when Gigasmon had knocked me unconscious. How long had I been out anyway? "If you've forgotten, I only came back to save Zoe's spirit from being taken—"

"Well you did a pretty poor job of it!" JP retorted, cutting me off completely. I tried to stand up as he got to his feet, but my legs were still asleep, and my whole body ached whenever I moved. Gigasmon and Vigomon had really kicked the crap out of me. "Zoe doesn't even have her spirit right now, and you weren't even there to help us fight him after she lost it!"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. But, honestly it shouldn't have surprised me; Zoe had always been a poor excuse for a legendary warrior. "What do you mean she lost her spirit? I shoved her out of the way, and Gigasmon attacked me, not her!"

"Well after your sorry excuse for helping us," JP stated as he turned away from me, crossing his arms. "Gigasmon kept on attacking, and got Zoe's spirit before Koji beast spirit-evolved and knocked him off a cliff!"

I snarled at him; I would've kept helping if I'd had the strength left to do so. But I hadn't, and I still didn't have it back yet. I snapped at him, knowing that my hopes of getting along with them weren't going to become a reality. "Well sorry for trying to keep Gigasmon from killing all of you and taking your spirits! Next time I'll just ignore your calls for me to help you!"

I struggled up from the ground, putting as little weight on my legs as I could as I got onto my feet. If I could take it easy with the walking, I wouldn't slow everyone else down when we started again. But JP just didn't want to leave me alone now, he was too pissed about Zoe losing her spirit to Gigasmon, and he wanted to take it out on me.

I leaned against the tree and tried to calm myself as he turned back to face me while I spoke again. My voice came through cold, but after having JP point out that it was my fault Zoe lost her spirit, I didn't think I could make it any different. "You guys should get up and get going now. Get to the Forest Terminal. We're getting closer; if you go now, you might be able to make it there by tomorrow."

"Wait a minute," I was surprised to hear Koji speak up, his voice holding a slight compassion that I could always hear when he spoke to me about something like me getting hurt. I knew he'd heard the difference in my statements. "What do you mean 'you guys'? You're coming along, aren't you?"

I wished that he hadn't been the one to ask. Now I couldn't just say 'no, you guys are on your own now'. I couldn't say that to Koji, it would kill me if that hurt him. I gulped before saying softly, pulling out my D-Tector, and ready to beast spirit-evolve, "No, I have to find Gigasmon, and get Zoe's spirit back. You guys can't help; you might lose one of your spirits, and that just adds to the work."

"But what if you lose one of _your_ spirits?" Koji asked, turning completely around to look at me, his pretty, emotion-revealing eyes looking into mine deeply. They cut through me like razor blades. I would've rathered going and fighting Sentimon again. "Who's going to be there to save _you_?

"No one." I answered him quickly, the answer simple and true. There wasn't any other way to say it. "You all—er, most of you anyway—have the spirits of legendary warriors. You have to get to the Forest Terminal, I don't. I can beat Gigasmon; it won't be that hard. I almost did once—"

"What do you mean you 'almost did'?" Takuya asked; I was surprised that he was talking as little as he was. He was sitting on the ground only a little ways from me. His brown eyes were confused, and his voice's tone clarified it for me.

I looked down at my feet; I knew how this sounded in my head, and it would probably come out sounding just as strange. But I didn't want to have to tell them about Vigomon, they wouldn't believe me anyway. "I didn't get to scan his data. I was…interrupted."

"Interrupted?" Tommy looked up at me. I hated that none of them would take a hint and just let it go. They were too thick for me to be able to get anything to stick. "How were you—"

"It was one of the Three alright!" I exasperatedly snapped, their persistency and many questions infuriating me. I hadn't wanted them to know, but I seemed to have no other choice. "I know none of you believe that they're actual enemies, so I wasn't planning to tell you that they're following us."

I looked down at my feet. I was okay with them not believing me, I guess. But it was not knowing if the Three were to show up. And if they did, was everyone going to know that they were in trouble? "They were near by when I got my beast spirit, they were with us in the TV Forest, and I ran into one of them just outside the Gotsumon Village. And knowing them, they're following us right now.

"So, I want you guys to keep going. I can deal with them and Grumblemon, and get Zoe's spirit back. Just as long as you guys are out of here and on your way." I finished as I began walking back into the forest away from everyone else. But I stopped when something hard hit the back of my head.

I glanced back to see JP, another couple of small rocks in his hand. Koji and Takuya were snarling at him, actually, almost everyone was glaring at him. I seemed to be the only one that was reasonably collected despite the fact that he'd thrown it at me. "What was that for?" I asked him, though my voice didn't seem to show that I really cared.

"You can't fight them; you'll lose, just like you lost yesterday! Even if you do find Gigasmon, what makes you think you can win and get Zoe's spirit back?!" JP shouted at me, but I knew he was only angry because I might be the one to get it back, and not him. That way, he wouldn't 'impress' his precious Zoe.

I gulped; I knew all of this, but I had to look past it, and I planned to. My voice was clearly frightened, but I tried hard not to let it show through all the way. "Don't you think I know that? I don't want to have to do this, but I know that I have to, so I will. Just get to the Forest Terminal, if I get the spirit, I can catch up and give it back before you even get there."

I turned from him again, ready to continue on into the woods and start tracking Grumblemon, but my eyes connected with Koji's gaze; I had to know what he was thinking right now. But I couldn't bring myself to hear what was going on behind those penetrating eyes; they were sad, worried, and…scared?

"All right, that's it! I've heard enough!" Bokomon exclaimed as he stepped forward toward me, looking ready to have Neemon restrain me from getting any farther. "I think it's time we do something more productive than just standing here arguing."

I could tell by his moment of silence that he was thinking, and Koji glanced at me. I shrugged back at him, figuring that he'd been wondering what the heck Bokomon thought was so important to stop in the middle of his sentence just to think about.

But we didn't have to wait that long for him to continue again. He cleared his throat, and I prepared my ears for something long. "Eh-hem, my friends, I believe the time has finally come,"

"Come for what?" JP asked, dropping the rocks back down to the ground. He was probably dumber than those rocks. I rolled my eyes; Bokomon would explain, or, at least I hoped he would. I didn't want to have to guess what he was talking about like most times when he said words.

"Just shut up and listen," I noticed Zoe open her mouth to ask about what Bokomon was talking about as I told JP to shut up, so I didn't even need to say it twice. I guess there's a first for everything.

"I believe it's time to show you the path of wisdom—"

I groaned as I walked past Bokomon. If they weren't going to let me go and get Zoe's spirit back now, I'd go and find Grumblemon while they were sleeping tonight. "I'm taking a d-tour. I don't feel like going down that road today. They're the ones that need directions right now—"_Aside from Koji though. _"Catch up when you're done talking about 'the path of wisdom'."

I was soon no longer within earshot, and I let out a sigh. At least I finally could stand and move around without feeling like someone had a voo doo doll of me and was repeatedly shoving pins into me. Though, if it were to happen to anyone in the world, it probably would've happened to me.

As I looked on through the rows and rows of tree, I could see brighter colors than the forest's greens and browns of the trees. There were reds, blues, pinks, and purples everywhere I looked. When I came out of the trees, I saw that they colors were from tents and little hut-like structures.

"What is all this?" I wondered aloud as I gazed at everything and strode forward. As I looked around, my eyes came to rest on the freakiest Digimon I knew I'd ever see in this place. Its brains had been completely blown out of its skinny pink head (actually, I think it was all neck), and were now on his head like a hat with a couple of black cord-ish things sticking out of all of it.

It came up to me on its multiple octopus-like legs, grabbing onto my arm with three clawed fingers. Whoever forgot to lock the door to hell, had better watch out for me. Because I was gonna kick their _oshiri_ for letting this thing out.

"This, my dear," The creature said to me, an unreliable smile curling into its black lips, the yellow eyes shining with the hope of a reward for telling me. "Is where you shall find the answers to all of your questions!" He gave a bit of a snap of his fingers before continuing to smile at me. "Ask away!"

I jerked my arm from his grasp quickly; I knew that if I were to look underneath my sleeve, marks from his three fingers would be around my wrist. I snarled at him, trying to look fierce without having to show my D-Tector; he looked pretty shifty, I couldn't be certain that he wouldn't grab it from my hand and take off with it. "I don't have any questions that you could possibly answer. And even if I had a few questions at all, I wouldn't tell you them. How am I supposed to know if you're even one of the good guys anyway?"

I could tell that I'd offended and pissed him off slightly, though he continued to smile and grabbed my hand again. I instantly freaked at the touch of his hand, and tried to pull away from him, but he only came closer to me. "Miss, don't you think that if I, Vademon, had any intention to harm you, I would've done so already?"

"I guess not," I struggled to pull my arm from him again. He wasn't letting go. My skin was starting to crawl now; the way that he was smiling at me and gripping my hand like a vice was beginning to alarm me. I snarled again before stepping back, dragging my arm and him clinging to it with me. "Let me go!"

"Don't you want to hear what I have to say about your future?" He questioned, his black lips still curled into a grin. I hoped that he wouldn't get stuck like that; I didn't want to have to stare at _that_ all day long if he didn't let me go soon. "For a small fee, I will tell you all you wish to know."

I thrashed again for the freedom of my arm, but received nothing except Vademon moving close enough to me to whisper, "There is a special boy in your life, is there not? Don't you want to know if you are the special girl in his life? I can tell you—for that small fee of course."

I stopped trying to get away, my interest now slightly perked. I knew he had to be talking about Koji—but I also knew that he had to just be guessing. But I couldn't help myself now that he'd brought about the pretty boy's face.

I turned back to Vademon, the smile widening on his face as he realized I was about to agree to his invitation of a psychic unveiling to my 'questions'. I didn't need any of my questions answered by some bozo that was scaring the frickin' crap out of me by how tightly he was holding me wrist. My fingers were already starting to turn colors.

As if reading my thoughts—which I knew he could not do; I of all people would know for sure—he pulled me into one of the colorful tents—er, dragged would be a better word. But I was still a bit creeped out because of this guy. Wouldn't anyone be kinda freaked if some guy with his brains blown up through his head was dragging them around?

It was dark inside the tent, despite how bright it was outside. The red fabric of the tent gave an eerie scarlet hue to everything, even the darkness itself inside the marquee-like structure. Vademon motioned for me to sit on a stool opposite the door. If this guy did turn out to be on Cherubimon's side, I was in a bit of a fix.

I waited as Vademon brought out an orb of clear water on a little stand. I could only assume that this was the Digimon version of a fortune teller's crystal ball. I didn't get what he was supposed to be seeing in this thing though. Or how he expected a human to pay for this.

But he didn't seem to be paying much attention to that, and I didn't even intend to. I had nothing to give Vademon, and he hadn't asked if I could pay for this anyway. I hadn't even verbally agreed to him telling my fortune anyway. But it didn't really seem like I had a choice, noting the fact that Vademon had already started talking anyway.

"Let's see what we can see now, shall we?" Vademon said to me as he placed the tips of his claws on the orb. He gestured for me to do the same; I put my hands up slowly, unsure if this was even a good idea.

"Hmm…" Vademon looked intently into the water; it was now pulsing in little ripples and waves. But I knew that he was just shaking it, and trying to figure out what to tell me about it.

I was wasting precious time that I could be using to find Grumblemon. I was throwing all the time I had to get the group to the Forest Terminal out the window. I didn't even know where everyone was, or even if they were okay to begin with.

I didn't care if this guy thought he knew what he was talking about with Koji, he didn't. He'd never even met the bandana-headed boy before. How would he know my future? No one could read my mind, but apparently I could get into theirs. But, could I really do that, or had all those times with Koji just been some kind of fluke?

Now was as good a time as any to test it out.

I focused my gaze on Vademon, staring intently at the Digimon that looked like the kind of gum you'd find on the bottom of your shoe and couldn't get off without a wrecking ball slamming into it for about thirty seconds. Or a really big stick.

But nothing went silent, nothing happened at all except I got a really bad headache (like the wrecking ball had hit _me_). I let my hands slip from the globe filled halfway to the top with the clear water. I couldn't connect with this Digimon, or another other Digimon for that matter. Except for the legendary warriors and their possessors.

Maybe that was the problem. I could use Raveamon's power with them because I had a good reason to, not just because I needed to know if it was real or not. I could communicate with them in that extraordinary way because I had to be able to know within a moment's notice if they needed my help.

Or maybe we were all just weird like that.

I stood up from where I was, giving the Digimon who had played with dynamite and accidentally blown his head up a slight formal bow. "Thanks for what you've actually told me, but I have business to attend to that I can't really get done here. There's an evil shrew with something belonging to an even worse shrew that I have to go and get back now."

I turned to leave, but stopped after hearing a little bit of a chuckling sound come from Vademon. Either he'd never seen a shrew before and had thought that the mental image he'd created was kinda funny, or there was something he knew that I didn't.

I assumed that it was the second one. I turned back around at the entrance to the tent and looked back at him, a skeptical expression crossing my features. "What are you snickering about?"

That black-lipped smile crossed his face once more. I knew that there was something he knew I didn't know he knew, but he knew that this was one of those things that you didn't want anyone else to know (I wasn't surprised that I'd just confused myself). He rose one three fingered hand; my black and white D-Tector was in his vice-grip. How the hell he'd gotten it out of my pocket without me even noticing, I'll never know.

I stared back at my D-Tector. I needed that to be able to spirit-evolve to Wereraiomon, and what if that person sent me another message? Vademon would be the one to answer it, and that just couldn't happen. He'd taken my D-Tector; he had to be working for Cherubimon.

"Give that back. Or I'll take it back." I growled, knowing that Vademon may not know it, but I could get it back without him having to be willing. I may not be able to just up and evolve into my beast spirit without the device, but Vademon didn't know that I could just focus and become Raveamon.

He retracted it from me as I took a step forward to claim it from him. I kinda figured that he wouldn't give it up so easily; it was a powerful machine after all. That smirk stayed on his face as he told me, "I know what you are; you can become a Digimon, can't you? I'll only give this back to you if you show me that it's true."

I took a step back; he'd taken my D-Tector only to see if I could really Digi-volve? Didn't he know that most people needed their D-Tectors to do that? Or did he know that I didn't have to?

I knew that I had no other choice but to lie to get my D-Tector back. And besides, I wasn't lying to someone important. "I can't do that without my D-Tector. Why don't you give it back, so I can spirit-evolve for you?"

"How do I know you aren't lying, and that you won't just run away as soon as you get it from me?" Vademon questioned, seeing right through my façade. I had to hand it to him; he knew how to get what he wanted. But this was no game, this was a fight to the finish, and I had to be the winner this time.

"You don't and won't know. But do you really have the patience to wait for me to give a sign that I am lying or that I'm telling the truth?" I held my hand out towards him, awaiting my D-Tector to return to its rightful place in my palm. "And how do you know that I have the patience not to delete you once I get that D-Tector back?"

The smile lessened; I could see he knew that I sure as hell didn't have the kind of tolerance to show compassion on the likes of him after he put me through all this _kuso_ just to get my D-Tector back. But I could just tell in his squinty, crap-yellow eyes that he wasn't going to give it back till I did what he wanted. But he would have to wait, because I wasn't about to give him something to run back and tell his master.

I hated to admit it, but I knew that if I wanted my D-Tector back, I'd need to find the others and ask them to help me get it back. If I wanted to keep my relationship with Raveamon's spirit a secret from the darkness—or, at least, some of those Digimon, I knew that others like the Three were already aware of it—I'd have to just suck it up and ask for their help.

But wouldn't _that_ be humiliating? Just thinking about going up to them and saying, 'Hey guys, I lost my D-Tector to this Vademon guy. He got it out of my pocket without me knowing about it somehow. Can ya help me get it back?' made my face begin to flush. Nevertheless, if I had to, I guess there really wasn't any getting around it.

"Huh?" I looked back up as my D-Tector began to start beeping. I groaned, hoping that Vademon would have no idea whatsoever about what was happening. _Aw man! Don't tell me I got a message right now! This is not a good time Whoever-keeps-messaging-me! _

But apparently Vademon did know what was going on (or, at least a little bit), and pressed a button on the D-Tector, the message emitting its sound waves to both of our ears, "Toshiku Yumari, you wonder why you are here; do not deny that you don't still have questions, but they will all be answered in time—"

"Uh, if you haven't noticed," I said to my D-Tector, pointing at it slightly with a finger, hoping that it would actually take notice of my statement. "You're not really in my hand…or, pocket—"

But whoever this person was answered me without even needing to mention the device she was contacting me through. "Go now, into the woods. It is time for one of your questions to be answered; you decide which. And remember, many chances are worth taking, and history can find its own way to its making." Apparently I was just supposed to go; leave D-Tector with creepy dude, and go. And figure out what the hell she had been talking about at the end…or why it rhymed.

I stared for a moment at my D-Tector, wondering how it knew what any of my questions were, but also knowing that it didn't really matter. Whoever that person was, she'd told me to go into the woods without my D-Tector. I guess I was supposed to learn something or other without the use of my beast spirit. At least I still had my human spirit.

I backed up to the door of the tent, not taking my eyes of off Vademon, just in case he decided to turn on me like I expected him to and attack me. But he didn't, and I was able to make it out of the door and start back to the woods before he could change his mind.

I sighed with relief as all of the other kinder-appearing Digimon walked by me, all of them being harassed by other fortune tellers of all shapes and sizes. I was glad that there was only one Vademon-fortune-teller to steal my D-Tector and really piss me off before I had to go into the woods for no reason other than the fact that some woman told me to.

I reached the tree line in a matter of minutes, but turned back to look at the color-rich tents anyway. It really was a pretty place, despite the knowledge that Vademon and my D-Tector where there somewhere. It would've been nice to see what else was really there. Maybe it wasn't all phony fortune teller huts, maybe there was something that actually showed some of the Digital World's splendor here.

But I didn't really have the time to go and check it out now, maybe I'd get some of that time back after I'd seen or done whatever this person had wanted me to go into the forest to do. I was ready to turn and wander aimlessly among the trees like whoever had messaged me had wanted me to, but I paused when I saw Takuya and the others walk by one of the tents.

I smiled unconsciously when Koji's pretty face came into view; I turned away, knowing that if they saw me, they might want to come with. If they were supposed to come with, maybe they'd just get a message. But if they didn't, I had to get away before they saw me leave, and knowing how close of a watch that Bokomon kept on everyone, I had to hurry.

I sprinted for a while before my fatigue set in fully and I began to amble along the path, taking nonchalant steps as I crossed my arms behind my head, tilting my head up slightly to look at the pure, soft clouds. This world: it was so serene, so peaceful, so…perfect. Why did some of the Digimon have to destroy something this harmless and pacifistic?

That would always be something I would never quite understand. I could never lay a threatening finger on this planet; I just couldn't do that to something so seemingly gentle. But perhaps if those Digimon were to see the world that I came from, they'd finally get how lucky they are to have a world this beautiful and pleasant. I doubted that could happen, but when I was young I'd thought there weren't any other dimensions or magical creatures.

I'd been wrong then; all of us had been wrong about that. Everyone who didn't believe in the impossible had been wrong about this world. And speaking of everyone, how many people really did or had known about this place anyway? How they could've possibly kept quiet about it was beyond me. But, I could only assume that I'd have to stay shut up about it too when I got back to the human world. If I ever got back at all.

I furrowed my eye brows; I hadn't wanted to think about that. Or yesterday's events. Neither of them were something that I wanted on my mind. But it was a mind all the same, and you can't really choose to toss something out of your mind like a failed Math test. Or at least I couldn't do that with mine. I didn't know about all the other people and their minds in the world.

But what would happen if you forgot the wrong thing? Would you go insane like those people in the mental institution that always seems to be kitty corner from the prison? Or is it just the food there at the prison or something? After that, I couldn't help but think what would happen if Zoe went to prison…

I would laugh hysterically and throw a frickin' celebration party.

I groaned; I'd gotten myself on the subject of yesterday again. It scared me a bit to think that if whatever mist-stuff hadn't covered me like a cocoon did a caterpillar, I probably wouldn't be walking right now. It even kind of frightened me to think of the cloudy stuff itself; what was it?

I'd never seen or had anything like that happen to or around me before. It was so new; I didn't know what to think of it. Would it have happened if I hadn't pushed Zoe out of Gigasmon's way? Did it…have…maybe, something to do with me doing that?

I stopped walking and stared blankly down at the ground, now deep in thought. If my being saved had really had something to do with me taking those attacks for Zoe, then what about that use of the ground I'd accomplished only moments beforehand? Had that been because of Zoe too?—no, it couldn't have. I helped Zoe after that.

I'd nearly beaten Gigasmon when Vigomon showed up, and that's when I had to use the earth to save myself, or, at least make Vigomon think that I had enough power left to save myself. Had me getting that power had some kind of relation to almost getting Gigasmon's data? From having that much of an improvement since my last encounter with him?

I wrinkled my eye brows again; I still didn't understand.

Sighing, I trudged forward; I doubted I'd get an answer to any of those questions, at least today. But, that woman speaking from my D-Tector had told me that one of my questions would be answered, and that I had to figure out which one was being answered. But how was I supposed to know which one was being answered, or was it my job to give the question its answer?

I was about to take another step forward and continue on the path, thinking that maybe if I kept going I would find whatever I was supposed to be looking for, when a thick, heavy arrow pierced the ground only a few inches away from my right foot. I looked up with hidden terror in my eyes as the last of the three came down to me from the sky above.

Obstimon; here now—I could only assume from the other two—to make his lasting impression on me. I hoped with all my soul that he didn't know I didn't exactly have my D-Tector right now. That would just give him all the more reason to go all out on me; if he did, there was no way I was getting out of this.

He floated down to the ground in—I had to admit—grace, his arms folded out before his armor plated chest. His armor was of a muddy blood shade, and a bright yellow gem was embedded on the back of his glove-covered hands and shoulder, both of which containing the mark of Death, apparently his element. On his helmet, which I hadn't noticed before, were two small horns. They stuck out from the rest of his dark armor, being almost sparkling white.

I didn't take my eyes off the unmoving Digimon as I spirit-evolved to my only choice of evolution, the lack of motion from the thing before me putting me on edge. If he wasn't going to move soon, was that supposed to mean that he was just tracking me, and that was it? Or was he waiting for my guard to be down, and then strike like a coward while my back was turned?

"I do not intend to do either," I nearly jumped when Obstimon started to speak; I was glad that I hadn't, that would've shown him that I was zoning out of the battle and that he had a bit of an advantage. "I would much rather delete you now and take your data for my own use. And the verres."

_Here we go again with the 'verre' thing. _"What are you talking about? I don't even know what those things are! How would I even have it if I don't even know what the hell it is you _bonkura_?!" I exclaimed as we circled each other, his extraordinarily large crossbow and arrows within easy reach to hit me, and my own flowing rapier out before me.

"Do not act dumb; you have them with you right now…inside your pocket," Obstimon stated, eyeing the spot on my leg where my pocket would be if I were human right now. His statement caused me to immediately feel for the verre in my pocket, but I remembered after touching no kind of soft fabric that I was in Raveamon's form right now. "But it would only prove my theory of your true stupidity if you were to check now.

"Now," He said with calmness to his voice that caused me to believe he knew I was growing frightened of him. He rushed forward and attempted to whack me in the face with the back of his hand, but I bent back, unintentionally falling to the ground in the process. "It is my turn to see what kind of strength you've become destined to obtain. What has Vigomon left you with?"

I snarled; he saw this as a game. He didn't see me as a threat at all. I would have to change that. And I intended to in every single way possible. No one else was with me right now; I could fight Obstimon now without having to worry about the others for now.

I let out a yell as I forced myself up from the ground, ramming my head into Obstimon's as I got up. The only flawed part with that two second long plan was that I nearly had my eye prodded out by one of Obstimon horns. Instead, it streaked across my face, leaving a deep mark next to my eye. I could've guessed that he'd leave a gash just like the other two.

I picked the Moon Beam sword back up off the ground and rushed over to Obstimon. Jumping up into the air, I came down at him fast. But still, he was quicker than I was and fired a row of arrows at me, all but one that had missed its mark sinking into my armor. The arrowheads surpassed my armored chest and torso like it had never even been there, jabbing into my skin with multiple twinges of excruciating pain.

Grimacing, I pulled out each of the arrows with one swift motion of my hand. But that was not one of my better ideas; it hurt a hell of a lot more coming out than going in. I figured it out when I saw that the arrows were specifically designed for that; they weren't just pointy, they were serrated along the edges also.

I growled and rushed forward at him once again; the wind picked up all around me, and the ground seemed to tense as if energy were beginning to build up all around it also. I didn't wonder about why the air and dirt were…well, acting so strange; I didn't have the time to think about that right now.

Learning from last time, I didn't jump and try to attack him this time. I went right in for the swing this time around. I pulled my arm back to the side and thrusted my sword forward in a curved motion, the aim now for his side, followed by the sonic wind and throbbing earth.

A small, smug smile twinkled on his face as he moved only inches to the side and slammed a fist into my face. The pure force of the in-coming impact was enough to send me flying backwards and onto the ground a couple of yards away from him. I knew that if I'd been human when he'd punched me, I would've been killed instantaneously.

I tried to push myself up off of the ground and stand back up, but Obstimon forced my head back onto the ground. I struggled to get out from underneath his foot, but it's kinda hard to do when your face practically buried in the dirt. I grunted and tried to breathe, but I choked on the dirt, the stupidity-caused problem intertwining with my current exhaustion and forcing me out of my spirit-evolved form and back to regular me.

I could feel the pressure on my head increase as I shifted my gaze up to the bull-like Digimon towering above me. Obstimon's face contained a smug aura as said, his voice low, rough, and uncaring, "That was, honestly, surprising. I did not expect you to be able to use the verre like you are,"

The force on my skull increased, and I closed my eyes to restrain them from being popped right out of my head. I tried hard to return to my human spirit's being, but after trying for more than a couple of long minutes with no success, I knew that this was just like a couple other times: I couldn't, for whatever reason, I just couldn't spirit-evolve.

The mockery for me was even more evident as Obstimon continued to speak to me. Everything he said…it just made me want to get up and punch him in the mouth. But I couldn't get up with his foot on my head. And I knew that I wouldn't do any damage when I was like this. "It's truly a pity. But, nevertheless—"

I cried out as his claws carved in towards my head; I could feel the tips threatening to pierce the delicate skin. I swung my hands up quickly to shove his foot away from me, but he was too strong for me to be able to do it by myself when I was like this.

Obstimon's voice got slightly quiet as he started to speak again. I could tell just by his tone that he intended on the worst right now; he planned to kill me. "Good-bye, Toshiku Yumari. Time to give your spirits—and the verre—up."

_Kuso_…for the second day in a row, I was going to die. But if I got away one time, I knew that I might be able to do it again. _Kamisama, if there was ever a time you wanted to give me a fighting chance, now would be just perfect._ I sighed in restraint of my intolerable screams of agony and anxiety. _I need a miracle…_

"Hey! Who do you think you are?! Let her go!"_…That was fast…_

I looked up unenthusiastically to see Koji…well, pretty much jump out of a bush and run over to me. Of course; when you ask for a miracle, the only miracle you know comes out of nowhere to save your sorry _oshiri_. Isn't that every person's dream?

Obstimon removed his foot from my head and stared at Koji as he ran over. There was obvious surprise and a slight amusement as Obstimon wondered aloud, (I had no idea he knew such colorful language) "…_Nani yo_?"

But for once in this fight, Obstimon had been dumb, and Koji took that opportunity to pick me up in his arms—still at a dead-run I might add—and try to take me to safety. Despite everything, apparently I found that now would be a good time to be completely in awe of the wonder that was Koji Minamoto.

Though Koji made a good effort, that didn't seem to matter to Obstimon; he pulled his bow and arrows out of what seemed like nowhere, and fired a round of arrows at Koji and I. Koji must've either seen him pull it out, or he tripped funny right then, because he did this weird flippy-thing out of the way of the attack before landing ungracefully on the ground a ways from both the arrows and Obstimon.

I heard Koji let out a deep, relieved sigh before looking at me and asking, his eyes revealing to me what he was wondering, which was much more compassionate and heartfelt than what he actually said, "Toshiku…are you okay?"

I nearly laughed at the obsolete question, but I could hear his thoughts ringing in his head, all of them going by too fast for me to even understand what the hell he was thinking. But, nevertheless, I knew he'd worried; I wish I knew how long he'd been watching me lose.

I gulped back a bit of the remembrance of my own pain, putting it aside so Koji didn't have to see or help me deal with it. I couldn't worry him any more if I could help it. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for…saving me Koji. That was spectacular—well, except for the part where you fell down, but I guess that was even kinda spiffy in your little way.

"But uh," I snickered to myself a little bit, even though the little fact that he was kinda unaware of wasn't funny at all. It was…uh, kind of more…condemning. I put my hand behind my head, moving it from being wrapped around him, a bit of a nervous smile on my face.

I wasn't just nervous about being this close to Koji (which was quite enjoyable honestly), it was just about the little thing that if I couldn't spirit-evolve whatsoever right now, I doubted that he could either. "I think we kinda have a problem…Uh, Koji? We can't spirit-evolve…

"Got any bright ideas Light-boy? 'Cause I'm all out." An insignificant grin crossed my face; I wasn't happy, not in the least bit. I was simply trying to make Koji believe that there really wasn't any danger. Which was the complete opposite of what was going on, and apparently the opposite of what Koji thought too.

He stared at me. That would've been a lot for me to take in all at once, but he got all of it and understood everything in less than three and a half seconds; which, could be a good or bad thing, depends on how he took it I suppose. New record in my book for the fastest understanding of whatever I told somebody though. "So, you're telling me—and tell me the truth—we're helpless right now?"

I gulped again; not a good way to put it, but there really wasn't a nice way to put it anyways. I got up from the ground, helping Koji up as I did. When he was back at my eye level, I looked at him directly; I couldn't lie to him, not now. _"Yes Koji, I won't lie to you,"_

I couldn't talk to him through regular verbal communication right now, it just didn't seem right. Obstimon might overhear something that he shouldn't hear. _"We have no chance against him right now.—_So," I spoke again, knowing that even if Obstimon heard this, he couldn't stop me. "I'm getting you out of here while I have a chance."

I grabbed his wrist and darted forward, dragging him along with me as I sprinted. I glanced back every now and then, both checking to see if Koji was actually keeping up alright—he was—and seeing if Obstimon was making his debut behind us.

"Where are you going?!" Koji called up to me; there was no fear in his valiant voice, but there was confusion. Confusion that I didn't want to have to solve right now. What if my answer hurt him?

I tried hard to evade the answer I didn't want him to know, let alone even know myself. "I'm getting you back to the others—or, at least tying you to a tree somewhere you won't get hurt—"

"I'm not going to leave you—"

Koji was pulling against my grip on his arm, trying to get me to let go and let him stop. But I was persistent, and forced him to trudge forward a couple of feet at a time. "You getting hurt is not a chance I'm going to wander around and take Koji! Now," I grunted as he planted his feet on the ground, completely unrelenting on going anywhere. I tugged on him again, trying to get him to move. "Come on! Before Obstimon realizes what happened and comes after us!"

"Toshiku!" Koji spun me around, and holding my shoulders, he said to me, complete sureness in his voice; if it had wavered at all, no one in the world could possibly have noticed unless they'd had Koji speaking through a mega-phone. He was starting to make me blush; I hadn't known he cared as much as he was showing me he did. "I'm not going anywhere if you're just going to come back here and get killed by Obstimon!"

"Koji…do not make me carry you out of these woods," I pleaded solemnly; I knew I probably wouldn't even be able to get close to him if he knew that's what I was going to do, but I would find a way to catch him. Even if it meant I had to hurt him myself just to keep him out of Obstimon's path of destruction. "Because I know for a fact that you will not like it, but I'll do it anyway if it means keeping you safe."

"Toshi—" _Oh Kamisama, not the nickname. Please, you're killing me here Koji. _He pulled my face closer to his; I couldn't look away from his navy blue eyes, they were too mystifying and true. It was just like he was trying to get into my mind, use telepathy with me first instead of the other way around. But he was already always on my mind.

"You can try to carry me out if you want, but I'll just come right back. You know me; you know I will. I'm not going to let you go back there and be murdered by that guy. Do you understand?" _KojKoj, now's not the time to be asking me that question._

I sighed. Koji was just as determined as the next guy, if not more. There was no way I was getting him out of here, even if I had to pick him up and just plain carry him out. Which I…uh, knew he wouldn't let me do willingly in the first place.

"Fine," I forced myself to pull away from him; I could feel the butterflies in my stomach fill me up completely as my face turned even redder. I didn't want to move away from Koji, I wanted to be near him forever. I had to feel that warm essence around me all the time, but I just couldn't bring myself to make a bigger effort to get it. I knew I wouldn't have it, so, why bother even trying?

"Stay if you really want to. I won't stop you." I looked unenthusiastically at him; Obstimon wouldn't come back, Koji was safe right now…right? I was unsure of myself, and it frightened me. I hadn't fought anyone as smart, or well-planned-out as Obstimon, and he intimidated me in a completely new way.

I didn't know anything about them, or any of them for that matter. I didn't know anything about this incredibly hazard-filled world; knowing that I didn't know what was going to happen, what could happen, or what was liable to happen was what frightened me the most. I wanted to be in control of my own world, to know what was going to happen at every turn, and be able to change it and make the choice on whether I really wanted it to happen then, or not. Or let it happen at all.

It was the complete feeling of helplessness, hope-abandonment, and rage that got to me, and I didn't know how to deal with it without just fighting my way out of it like I'd had to do the majority of my life. But I knew…none of what I thought might help would, but I didn't know what else to do or try.

So I decided to just let my old self stay, and let myself figure everything out the way I always had. The old saying I'd heard and read so many times was true: Old habits die hard. And it was going to be just as bad trying to get myself to change, even with everything, there was something that couldn't be taken away from me to let me change. Maybe I just didn't want it enough.

I turned away from Koji to keep going, thinking that Koji might be able to help me find whatever my D-Tector had told me to go find—or, go do…or, whatever. Whoever that person getting into contact with—I only had to assume—all of us hadn't been very specific or commanding on what would or wouldn't happen; what could, or couldn't.

We walked on in silence for a while, both of us knowing that Obstimon could show back up at any waking minute. But for now, we were okay. We could keep going, and if we were lucky, maybe we would lose Obstimon, and we'd be able to get back to the others in one piece.

The longer Koji and I walked on, the more time that passed that I knew he was there with me and wouldn't leave; I started to grow calm again with his presence there. I lost my sense of on-coming danger, and my worry-distorted face became my normal I'm-with-Koji-and-only-the-spiffy-Koji expression again. I knew I may as well enjoy having just him around while I could.

But even those distinct features didn't stay for very long. Although, this time it wasn't changed by anything I thought of, or something that Obstimon did. I raised a hand to my mouth as I yawned. _Yeah, real exciting day…nearly get killed by Obstimon and whatdya do? Ya yawn._

Koji noticed me yawn, and grinned to himself for a moment. I glanced at him, wondering to myself (and to him too) what he was thinking about. He grinned again at me before asking me teasingly, "You're not going to try sleeping on me again, are you?"

I blushed a bright tomato-ish color—wait, no, I was blushing like a tomato would if it had a crush on somebody. Why did Koji have to bring _that_ up? Stupid yawning. But I couldn't help myself; I blushed even more as I answered quietly, "…Unless you want me to…"

I gulped, trying to make it unnoticed so Koji wouldn't see that I wasn't joking. But, I guess my blushing face would tell him that anyway. Maybe he'd just think my face was red from trying to hard not to laugh at what I'd said. _Ha, yeah right bonkura, Koji's not dumb like you. Oh yeah, thanks, that's real nice. You started it. Shut the hell up!_

I glanced at Koji out of the corner of my eye. I was stunned to see him looking back at me, his face already a faded pink. I didn't know if he was blushing, or holding back a bit more laughter at my…uh 'joke'. I could've sworn I saw him bite his lip for a moment before uttering a laugh and mumbling, "You're funny…"

I averted my gaze from Koji's angel face and stared at the ground, trying to convince my own face that now would be a very good time to go back to the right color, but that didn't happen. I knew it would probably get stuck being that stupid blush-red color 'cause it kept happening so often, but that kind of thing doesn't happen…right?

But I pulled myself from the thoughts of somebody with a tomato-face to a weird, kinda out-of-place rumbling sound. I smirked with a knowing shine in my eyes as I swiveled my head to the side to look at a pretending-I-didn't-hear-that Koji. "Koji, was that your stomach?"

"No," Koji answered hastily, his face holding an unmeant irritation for my question. But his face showed his embarrassment, and I knew his thoughts no matter what he did. "That wasn't my stomach, just—"

I grinned with an 'I knew it' smile when he was cut off by his stomach growling again. Koji scowled at me when he saw the smile, and after his stomach had shut up. I sprinted forward, and called back to him, "I can solve that!"

"Wha—Where are you going?!" Koji shouted back to me as he rushed after me, hurrying to keep up with me. I knew he thought I was going to do something stupid like what Takuya would do, but I had other plans.

I looked around for a moment as he began to catch up, and noticed a tree with multiple pear-looking fruits in it. I smiled to myself as I jumped up, grabbed onto the lowest branch and pulled myself up into the tree among the rest of the branches. I glanced down for a moment to make sure Koji was still following; I didn't want to lose him in the middle of the forest.

I reached out for one of the fruits, but before I could actually grab one, a purple thing that seemed to have absolutely no business in a tree whatsoever jumped from one of the other branches and swatted my hand away like someone would if a little kid had reached for a cookie. "No! I'm Impmon, and these are mine!" But he was the one that sounded like a little kid.

He crossed his arms in front of his chest, closed his eyes stubbornly, and turned away from me. I understood that he was going to be a pain in the _oshiri _about this. That was pretty clear to anyone.

"Toshiku—" Koji tried to get me to come back down, but I could be just as persistent as a purple Digimon, and apparently this one was Impmon. I would get that fruit if it was the last thing involving a pear-looking green thing that I ever did.

I put my hands together in front of my face and tried to reason with the little kid-sounding, dark purple, red glove-wearing Digimon with funky ear/antennae thingies and big green eyes. "C'mon, ya won't miss one fruit, will you? It's for a good friend."

Impmon opened one eye; he glanced at me, before looking back down at Koji, who was standing a little ways from the tree. He gestured over to him with a sweep of one hand as he asked, making me really hope Koji couldn't hear either of us, "Ya mean the pretty boy with the flowy hair over there?"

_Emphasis on 'pretty'._ I smiled as I answered him, hoping that he might cave now and just hand the fruit over, "Yup, that's the one, cute as ever, the spiffy legendary warrior of Light—" I knew I shouldn't have added that part, but it didn't seem to bother Impmon. "Now uh, if you don't mind, I'm gonna take one of those fruits now."

The Digimon that looked like he was from a purple horror movie eyed me intently for a moment, before just shrugging, then turning around and taking a fruit from the tree branch above him. He tossed it to me. "Here, take one. If you're helping a legendary warrior out, then I guess I can part with just one."

I was about to thank him for actually cooperating with me without having to make a giant scene, but like a Digimon was ever going to let me do _that_. "Now," Impmon said as he slammed a fist into me, knocking not only the air out of my lungs, but also me out of the tree and flying into the trunk of one on the other side of the trail. "Get out of my tree."

I tried to shake my head as I opened my eyes, but I just couldn't; I realized why when I opened my eyes and everything was upside-down. I blinked a couple of times and looked back over at the tree Impmon had punched me out of. I caught a glimpse of Impmon, but after I closed my eyes again, he was gone. Couldn't say I would really miss him.

I smiled as Koji walked over and knelt down in front of me—er, at least I think that could be considered in front of me. When everything was upside-down, it got kinda hard to tell. Kind of like when you're on one of those roller coasters and the track flips you around a couple of times. Except this wasn't a roller coaster; roller coasters didn't have fruit-protective Impmon that punched you out of trees.

There was another faultless smile on Koji's face as he looked into my eyes from above, the sunlight was shining from behind him, seeming to make him glow; but there was something different in his warm look. Just Wolf-boy looking at me with that little gleaming difference in his blue eyes was enough to make me blush vividly. I hated when people knew something I didn't. But, I could make an exception for Koji.

"Cute as ever, the spiffy legendary warrior of Light, huh?" Koji quoted me with a smirk; his tone was hushed and relaxed-sounding, drifting through the quiet atmosphere to my awaiting ears. "Didn't expect _you_ to say anything like _that_."

_Heheh, well aren't you a bonkura? I thought I told you to shut the hell up?!_ I could feel my heart beating like cannon fire in my chest, and my face was the same color as any heart too. I knew that he could see by my face that I was flying pretty high right now. I knew it was true: I did like Koji, I couldn't ignore that.

I had absolutely no idea how to reply to what he said. So, I did the most awesome, stupid thing I'd ever thought of. I arched my head up off the ground, and felt everything stop in the world—both worlds—as my lips hit Koji's. I didn't know why the hell I'd done that, but I couldn't help it; this moment would last in my memory till the end.

I let my head drop back to the ground, and there, when I saw his blank, slightly stunned face, my shyness worsened almost instantly. But I could still feel the enchantment in the air from that kiss. I couldn't believe I'd really let myself do something that made seem like a frickin' fan girl or something to him. That was Zoe; I wasn't supposed to be on that kind of a level in Koji's eyes.

I got out from underneath Koji's gaze quickly as I stuttered, "I-I'm sorry…I-I shouldn't have…done that…" I didn't know what else to say. I'd never been that stupid before in my life. I looked down at the ground and noticed I still had that fruit in my hand. I stretched my arm out to hand it to him. "Uh…do you still want the fruit?"

Koji slowly took it from my hand, nodding his thanks to me. I could tell that he was still a bit taken aback from the whole…uh…incident, but what was I expecting anyway? Was I hoping for something like all of the love stories of history to happen or something?

_Shimatta! How could you be so stupid?! Why in Kamisama's name did you think that would be a good idea?! Or weren't you thinking at all? Now you've caused more damage to yourself than any enemy has ever been able to do. If you can't even make a decent decision on your own about your own life, why do you really think you can make a difference in the lives of the ones your with? If you're alone, everyone else will be okay; if you have destitute heart, maybe everyone else will be able to get back to their home in the end._ My thoughts killed me inside, but I knew they were right. Maybe that hadn't been a good idea.

I stopped short of my next step and doubled back on myself, falling backwards onto the ground as a feeling of danger and pain that was quick as the snap of a stick set itself upon my mind. I nearly choked on my own surprise when a volley of arrows flew out of nowhere and landed directly where I would've been standing. Yet again, I'd missed my own demolish by seconds, by inches, and because of something I felt.

All of these sudden instincts, these emotions and feelings; all of these strange, stupid, confusing, killing-me-to-know-what-the-hell-I-have-them-for senses. Everything that had been happening since I got here was overwhelming my mind, I felt like I was going to explode if I even learned one more thing, even one answer to one of my numerous questions. But I knew that none of this was important now. Obstimon was back, and he was clearly pissed at my ability to escape him.

And he might just be confused at how the hell Koji can pop out of nowhere and a bush all at once.

A small breeze rushed past me for a split second; I could only assume that had been made by Obstimon as he ran past. If I'd been right at all about him running past me, I didn't think I'd ever be sure, but either way, Obstimon didn't hesitate to appear from the blank air.

His dark, uncolored eyes were glistening with an unshown anger; a malicious mind that could do whatever was possible, or impossible, and knew it well. Obstimon was going to be a challenge to defeat today, or any other day for that matter; his armor was seemingly impenetrable, if I could even get close enough to hit it at all. And, forgetting the fact that he was fully protected at all, he was obviously wise, and knew much more about fighting with a purpose and plan than I did, or ever might be able to know.

But lingering on what I didn't have, thinking about what I needed to survive but didn't have wasn't going to help me protect Koji right now. I got up from the ground feeling colder, sensing strength from my lack of emotions. Was this power what I'd come to find?

If I only had my D-Tector right now, I'd be able to use my beast spirit and kick Obstimon's _oshiri _once and for all. We'd never have to see his face again; never have to stare into those lifeless eyes and fight for our lives again. But I knew I didn't have it, and that wasn't going to change anything. I'd fight with my human spirit alone, and that might just be enough.

I spirit-evolved in silence and with no sort of enthusiasm or sign of emotion at all. I felt anger and a newfound hatred for the Three deep in my heart, but Obstimon knew it; I could feel him penetrating my head…getting into my mind. It hurt like hellfire had been set off inside me, but I wasn't about to give him the pleasure of seeing me crumble.

I opened my clenched fist and waited impatiently for the moon beam sword to come again, eyeing Obstimon and his smug-smitten face all the while. I could see it in his expression; Obstimon knew something I didn't, and it was starting to get under my skin and make me tense.

I realized what it was when he surrounded himself with data and called out, "Slide evolution! Taurumon!" When the data subsided, I stood in hidden terror; I couldn't let Obstimon—er, Taurumon now, see that his beast spirit had shaken me a lot. And especially now that I didn't have a beast spirit to match him with.

The great horned, black beast raised an arm, and motioned with his free hand for me to come forward and fight him. It the other hand he held an enormous ax; it was practically my height. Taurumon snorted before rumbling, "I can see the darkness in your eyes; let us see if we can't draw it out even more, shall we?"

I moved away from Koji, and holding my sword in both hands, proceeded to try and think of some way to get rid of Taurumon. I couldn't beat him; no, not without my beast spirit. All I needed to do was get rid of him, at least stall him long enough for me to be able to go back, grab Koji, and get the hell out of here again before he realized what happened. Again.

I let out a grunt as I arched back and tossed the moon beam sword at Taurumon's chest. Even though it was armor-protected, the feeble attack would give me a fighting chance at using a better attack. "Stellar Sha—" I tried to hit him again, but I was too slow, and couldn't get it in before he walloped me with the dull side of his ax.

I stifled a cry as I was flung backwards and slammed into the ground face first. I slid to a stop, and tried to get up as fast as I could, but I still wasn't fast enough, and Taurumon's hoofed-foot came down hard on my back. "You are weak, Toshiku Yumari. Lo, you may've escaped me once, I assure you, there will not be a second time.

"You yourself will be the one to destroy everything this time," I could feel myself sinking into the pit of darkness that I'd grown dangerously comfortable with inside. For as long as I could allow myself to remember, which really wasn't too far back, I'd always been this way.

It was like drowning in everything that I could remember: all of my parents' and brother's screams when they were hurt in the hospital, all the tears we cried, and all the emotional scars I had to take on because of them forcing that pain upon my younger self; all of my lies and arguments, all of my pain and all the pain I'd caused others. And not only that, but the darkness the Three and Cherubimon were also forcing upon me.

I could feel Taurumon's face twist into a sick smile as he moved away from me and let me get up. When I looked around, I saw the strangely colored view that I always saw when I let myself go under the darkness' chasm of impenetrable chaos: black everywhere, but where there was legendary-life that needed to be taken by me, there was a trail leading to them like blood, and whatever their element was, that's what showed up around them.

Taurumon laughed menacingly to himself before turning from both Koji and I and running off into the faintly darkening forest. I stared at Koji, my crimson irises only slivers of a setting sun behind my expanded pupils.

I took a step towards Koji, but he didn't take a step back like I'd originally thought. He still believed I was strong enough to hold myself back from hurting him. I could hear his thoughts, I knew I was right. But I really wanted to believe that he was too.

I let out a snarl as I rushed forward like lightning, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and slammed him into the nearest tree. "You'll die," I hissed through my clenched teeth. "Just like the others; you'll leave me to my miserable life, just like they did. They hated me, I know they did. And I know you'll learn to hate me too—"

"No! Toshiku, you're wrong! I will never hate you, that I know I can promise you—" Koji struggled against my crushing grip, but I forced him even harder into the tree, my fist crushing his chest.

"You're lying Koji Minamoto!" I shouted, slamming him into the tree again. The light shining off of his skin was starting to blind me now, but I couldn't look away from him. "Everything you've ever said to me! It's all been lies! Everything! Where ever I turn, where ever I look, where ever and whoever I try to take my heart to, all I find are lies and more pain!"

"I'm not lying to you Toshiku! I never have!" Koji exclaimed, harassed by the pressure of my fist just to breathe in and speak. "And I won't be like that; you can trust me with whatever you want to be kept just between us. I'll never betray you; I'll never leave you as long as I can help it!

"When you held everything back from all of us, I could still see who you were; you never hid from me. Whenever you joke, you make everyone laugh, but then the next minute comes around and the show is over, and you fall again. I knew you needed a soul-to-soul connection, and I could see there was no one that you would let save you from yourself but me. You wouldn't let anyone else in! But after all you've been through, and after hiding everything from the others, I finally understand why you don't do the same to me.

"I see all that you go through because you want to save us from what you know you can't fight, but you do it anyway because you care! That's what you're about; you care for us, all of us! And we all care about you. You may not know it, but every day I wish I could ease the pain I know you go through, but I don't know how—"

"You're still lying—"

"Listen to me Toshiku! Tell me at the end if I'm really lying to you!" Koji shouted, cutting me off even though I increased the pressure on his chest and throat. I would allow him to tell me what was on his mind. It was the least I could do for someone that was about to die.

"But I can hold you when it hurts; my arms can be just like walls around you. And if you're wandering around in the darkness inside you like you are now, and going in all the wrong directions to get back to the right side, I can lead you back. I know you're still broken; shattered like a mirror into a million pieces, but sooner or later, you've got to uncover something or someone to find you and save you, and—"

I stifled a whimper as I sensed Koji's light beginning to pierce through my barricade of despair and resentment to my past and everything about the present and future. My eyes watered with the pain that it caused me to let all of it go again. I looked back at him, squinting at the increasing brightness. "I don't want to hear anymore!"

I smashed him against the tree again, putting as much force into it this time more than any other. He cried out with pain and tried to push my hand away as he shouted, "Toshiku! Stop! I…I don't want that first kiss to be our last!"

My power lessened, and I stared at him; his eyes were squeezed shut because of the pain as he kept talking. "When you're lost in the dark, when you're out in the cold night, when you're looking for something that resembles your soul, when memories of your past come back to haunt your mind and destroy all the good you've done…I'll be a home to your homeless heart."

All over I shook as the darkness dispersed from me just as quickly as it had come. I couldn't feel any part of me as I fell to my knees, dropping Koji and letting him touch the ground again as I did. Closing my eyes, which were now returning to their original appearance, I fell face first onto the dirt.

I lay there motionless as I finally de-spirit-evolved. I couldn't sense or feel anything around me, just the fact that I was laying there on the soft, green grass below me. A small breeze washed over my face, helping me to open my eyes in time to see Koji come up and hug me to him.

"Koji…" I stumbled on my words as I tried hard not to break down and start to sob right now. I didn't want to put him through any more for the rest of today. Or for the rest of the year. "KojKoj, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Tears streamed slowly from my eyes and I buried my face in his shirt as I whispered apologies over and over again until I thought I wouldn't be able to stop without the use of duct tape. I wished I hadn't done any of that; I wished I hadn't lost control like that and hurt him like I had. I hoped to high heaven that he would forgive me, even though it was the last thing I deserved and I knew it.

"Please," I held back more sobs of regret as I tried to pull the comfort of Koji's presence closer to me. But I was unsuccessful; if Koji wanted to bring me closer to him and his warm consolation, then he would. My face turned red like it had when I'd kissed him, and my mind went completely bare of all thought besides Koji himself. "I'm sorry…please…never let go…"

"Toshi," Koji replied in an entirely exhausted sounding tone, even though I could tell he was trying not to let it show through completely. But there was more than that to the sound of it; there was glad relief to it too. Although I couldn't be sure of what it was for, I knew it was there.

Koji kept his promise; his hold on me tightened to reassure it too. I buried my face deeper into the comfort of the fabric that made up his shirt as the butterflies returned to my stomach and my face became a deep pink again. "It's alright Toshi, it's okay."

I would've kept talking to him, kept repeating that I was sorry, that I hoped he could forgive all I'd done to him, everything I'd put him through. But I was beyond exhausted too, and couldn't keep my consciousness like he did. As fast as I'd woken up this morning, I was in a deep slumber again. Though, this time I was warm in the safety of Koji's arms.


	13. Story Guideline

**Yeah, there's a lot of words I don't think I should be typing on here...but it's nice to know what bad language I really know. But other than that it's not all bad words. And I will update this one as the story goes on.**

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Story Guideline

Japanese Words

kuso - shit

kusotare - bastard (most offensive way to say it)

yaro - asshole/jerk

oshiri - ass

kuso-atama - shit head

kamisama - god

bonkura - dumbass

nani yo - what the hell

chikushou - damn

bonkura - dumbass

shimatta - damn it

baka - idiot or stupid

subeta - bitch

gochisou sama deshita - thank you for the food (after eating)

omae - you (impolite version of it)

otouto - little brother

ijiwaru – bitchy

busu – ugly girl

gomen nasai – I'm sorry

muko - damn you

Tenshi - angel

-sama - lord, or master

rokudenashi - bastard

chotto matte - wait a damn minute

seiko - fuck

hell kuso - fucking hell

dono yo na seiko - what the fuck

seiko o shattodaun - shut the fuck up

ki ni suru - give a damn

shimai - sister

itai - ouch

dono yo na seiko de aru kotto - what the fuck is that

minikui on'na - ugly bitch

naze seiko - why the fuck

shofu - whore

jakkasu - jackass

koko de seiko - where the fuck

shiri no itami - pain in the ass

kusoimaimashii - fucking

chikushou-shin - god damn it

Spirits of Moon

Human Spirit—

Raveamon

Attacks—

Guardian's Shield - one or both of her wings harden to become almost metallic, and she moved them before her (defense) OR one or both of her wings harden to become almost metallic, and she swings one of them at an enemy (offense)

Moon Beam - little glitter-like specks of power circulate at her fists, becoming a sword that pulses like waves

Stellar Shadow – she forms a large-ish ball of oddly discolored energy from her palms, more times than not holding it above her head before chucking it at her opponent

Beast Spirit—

Wereraiomon

Attacks—

Innovative Star – a giant ball of pure white, pulsing power forms at Wereraiomon's jaws, its size depending on how strong or active she is right then during the fight

Mondlicht Menschenwolf – (means 'moonlight werewolf' in German—most powerful attack that can be conjured from Toshiku's spirits) Wereraiomon's eyes glow with a white sheen, and she is able to attack (bite, tackle, etc.) her opponent, many of the elements accompanying her in her strike and taking their part in aiding the damage given

Ancient Spirit—

AncientRaiafemon

Attacks—

Essence Chain – fist is encircled with data-caused strength and brightness, and multiple links of chains that can only be broken by the user of the attack, or the person attack was used to protect; enemy is completely encased in said chains from head to toe; finally the sky darkens completely and becomes covered with clouds, the clouds part, and the enemy is taken up into them and is eternally imprisoned until something or someone releases them due to whatever circumstance

Songs Sung by Characters and Chapter Mentioned

Tick Tock - Ke$ha - Chp. 10

Nothing Without You - Vienna Teng - Chp. 12

How to Save a Life - The Fray - Chp. 13

Ungodly Hour - The Fray - Chp. 13

The Hero Dies in This One - The Ataris - Chp. 14

Away From Me - Evanescence - Chp. 14

Hear Me - Kelly Clarkson - Chp.14

When You Say Nothing At All - Alison Krauss - Chp. 15

Falling for You - Colbie Caillat - Chp. 15

Your Love Is My Drug - Ke$ha - Chp. 16

She Likes (BitterSweet Love) - Forever The Sickest Kids - Chp. 16

Stuck in the Moment - Justin Bieber - Chp. 17

Endlessly - Muse - Chp. 17

21 Guns - Green Days - Chp. 17

The Only One - Evanescence - Chp. 17

Pain - Three Days Grace - Chp. 17

Better Than Drugs - Skillet - Chp. 19


	14. Chapter 12: What Lies Beneath

***Sighs* Wow, this took _forever_ to finish, but I'm happy with it. I hope you guys like it too. :)**

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Chapter 12: What Lies Beneath

I awoke with a start, instantaneous chills running through my spine and my veins as I struggled to get back up onto my feet. As soon as I got up off of my knees, it felt like a couple thousand atomic bombs were going off inside my head all at once. Not the sound, but just the pain.

I dropped back to my knees with a croak of a cry as I gripped my throbbing head; what had hit me so hard that this was happening? Then it all flooded back at once: Obstimon, his beast spirit, my lack of a beast spirit, his foot on my head and the crushing force.

But that wasn't all. I recalled losing control of my human spirit this time—I'd never known that it wasn't just me; the darkness was keeping me from fully controlling my beast spirit. Although, that was worse than just not being strong enough; at least you could change from being weak to becoming strong again.

And when I'd been under the darkness' miserable hold, I'd harmed the one that I cared for the most here: Koji Minamoto. I'd almost choked him to death, and he'd still forgiven me…and promised to stay after all that I'd done.

My eyes widened to an unbelievable size when I realized something that sent me into a frantic terror. Before I'd fallen into sleep, Koji had been here, his arms had even been wrapped around me. But…he was nowhere within my sight or earshot. Complete and utter silence; it froze me in dread.

I jumped to my feet and began to run despite the pain and lack of energy, but I had more important things to do than sit here and wait for strength to come. I didn't know where Koji was, and I had no way of tracking him without Wereraiomon's extraordinary sense of smell. I knew I shouldn't have trusted Vademon.

I stopped running and spun around towards the fairground-thing again. No matter how much I wanted to find Koji, I knew I couldn't do it if I had no idea where to start or any way of finding him in the first place. I needed my beast spirit. That meant that I had to find Vademon…and kick the _kuso_ out of that _yaro_.

Taking off like a speeding bullet (Da-da-da-da! Superman! At least he doesn't sparkle like someone else I know (that means you Robert Pattinson)), I sprinted back towards the tent that Vademon had taken my D-Tector at. I was gonna have so much fun kicking the crap outta that guy.

I didn't care if he knew I could spirit-evolve without my D-Tector anymore. He wouldn't be alive long enough to get the new discovery to anyone of extreme importance anyway. I would make sure of that. Hopefully I could find the pain in the _oshiri_ in the first place.

* * *

I found the same tent easily and rushed through the flaps, stopping as soon as I entered the eerily red darkness, lit only by the partially open flap. I could see Vademon just ahead of me, paying absolutely no attention to who had just run into his tent-thing in which he would make something up about whatever he felt like.

I balled my fists, data enveloping them in little bands, one on each hand. I crossed the beams of blue, barcode-looking energy like always, becoming Raveamon within seconds. I flexed my wings out as far as I could, the tips of the feathers brushing the sides of the tent.

"Vademon," I threatened in a coarse tone; I closed my fists again, this time tight enough to make my knuckles snap. It was either that, or my talons had gone through the glove. "I think you have something of mine. And unless you want to be in the Forest Terminal and here all at once, I'd hand that device you've got in your hand over now."

"Hm?" Vademon turned around after hearing me, the cords sticking out of his head swinging sickeningly around him. "Oh!" He seemed surprised, but somehow happy to see me. "It's you! I know that voice! So, you decided to change for me, didn't you? Well, you're still not going to get this…thing—"

I growled, my rage bubbling like lava within me. Snarling, I pounded the air with a wing and rushed at him. I grabbed him by the neck (or whatever the heck this part of him was) and tore through the back of the tent.

I slammed him hard into the first solid-ish surface I saw. "I will tear you apart, limb from frickin' tentacle. If you don't give it up, I will destroy everything; nothing will be left standing. You may know how to get what you want through deceiving anything and everything, but I have other, more effective ways.

"Now," I set him slowly on the ground—I didn't want to scare the crap out of him. I didn't want to have to smell like squid _kuso_ for the rest of my life. Crouching down slightly and extending my hand, I looked him square in the eye, even though that was one of the freakiest parts of him. "If you know what's good for you, and the rest of the Digital World, you'll give me what's in your hand so I can find the legendary warrior of Light again."

"Legendary warrior! Of Light!?" Vademon freaked out almost immediately after I'd stopped talking. His reaction and quick surrender of my D-Tector made me feel like an idiot; why hadn't I mentioned the Ten before this? "Why didn't you say you were helping one of them in the first place?!—" _That's what I've been wondering for the past three and half seconds too. _"Take it! Take it!"

"…Okay." He put it in my palm quickly before scampering away on his…whatever the hell had hit the ground first when he exploded. I saw him turn just in time to watch in awe as I slide evolved to Wereraiomon once again.

I turned from him and began to walk back through the trees and foliage as I mumbled to myself in a sour voice, "I still wanna tear that guy into a million frickin' pieces, barbeque it, and give it to JP. See what happens. At least I won't have to see Vademon again, and if I'm lucky, same goes for JP. And if it works, I should save some for Zoe."

But, I knew that—even though that would be easier—finding Koji was on the top of my priority list right now. And he would always be at the top of it; he would always come before everything. I couldn't resist anymore; I had to remember what it had been like to kiss him.

Had it been a bad idea? Yeah, of course it had. Had it felt like it? Before: Yeah. After: Yeah. During: No frickin' way! I'd never wanted anything more than Koji in my whole life; I'd never come across anything I would do all this for. And I knew that there was nothing and no one else in either of these worlds that I would ever make such an effort for. No one else was, or ever had been worth it.

That kiss we'd shared had been everything I'd wanted it to be, but it had kinda taken Koji by surprise. Maybe if we both knew when the next one was actually coming, it would be even better. Just the thought of how it would feel made me blush with the expectancy of it. But honestly, my hopes were so high it might kill me when it happened. Though, if anything was going to kill me, I'd want it to be a death-kiss from Koji. At least then I'd die happy.

I put my nose to the ground and began to search for a trail that might lead me to him. There were no trails of brightness anywhere around me; most times there was some kind of trail that I always knew was Koji's. There was no possible way you could think that special scent could be from anyone or anything else.

But instead of finding any kind of trail, the rotten stink of death crept into my nostrils. I snapped back from the dirt and backed away from the path as fast as possible. As I rammed into a tree behind me, the reeking odor finally left my nose. But…what had it been from? Nothing could rot in the Digital World; everything was data, and would just disappear. Or…could it really just sit there and decay?

Then, I thought of the worst possible chance: if each of the legendary warriors had their own distinct smell that I had already memorized and could track with ease…what about other Digimon? What about the Three? Obstimon had the mark of Death imprinted up on him…

"_Yabai_!" I slammed my feet into the ground and pushed off as hard as I could. I had to find Koji before Obstimon did. _If Obstimon finds him…_I shuddered; I did not want to have to think about that outcome. I had to do everything I could to keep away from that possibility. But what was there that I could really do besides search?

I had never run as far, or as fast as I did right then on one single trail of scent. I'd never known that I could do all this in the first place. The stretch of my spine as my muscular legs swung out from underneath my slender body just felt natural now. The dirt beneath my padded feet, the stones that snapped like pebbles underneath my claws, it all felt like it was part of something; part of me now.

The earth and the breezes that ran throughout the whole world, I felt as if I was almost…finishing up the odd ends of myself or something. It was that sensation of partial completion that I loved to have the most. But it wasn't whole; I wished I knew why I felt this way, or how to make it even better.

I slowed slightly as the stench of demise began to grow strong and even worse than before all around me. I looked around me; if Obstimon came into sight whatsoever, I was going to maul him. _"Obstimon…you're hunting him…aren't you?"_ I sent my thoughts out to what I could remember of him, partially hoping that he didn't even send something back.

But I could hope as much as I wanted to, that didn't mean anything was going to change. Maniacal laughter pierced my skull; for a moment I thought that Obstimon had come and fired an arrow into the back of my head. _"I told you once before,"_

Taurumon's deep, slurred voice came through to my thoughts, and I felt my head begin to empty of all thought as the darkness tried to return. _"You cannot escape that what exists inside you, and what will not hesitate to come for you when sent. They are, and will forever be impossible for you to run away from…and that which is within you…slowly…day by day…turning you against those you protect…those fools you call friends—"_

_"You're the fool you kusotare!"_ I screamed in my head over the breeze that had picked up all around me. I still didn't understand the air particles in this place. Maybe Zoe was having a spaz attack or something and needed extra air so she wouldn't choke on a leaf. _"You don't know them! And you don't know me! What do you think you'd understand?! You can't take me on! And I won't let you take Koji!"_

I planted my feet on the ground and dug my claws into the ground as I threw my head back and let out a long, loud howl. I had to get rid of the darkness…at least for a moment so I could think and control myself again.

Although, I didn't get the chance to go off and find Koji again; Obstimon was there, just a couple of bounds ahead of me on the pathway. I snarled at him, curling my black lips back to show my set of pearl-white canines. They were strong enough to be able to crack through his armor; I was sure of it.

Crouching low, I examined Obstimon's facial expression; I couldn't believe that he was smiling—however smug it was—right now. In the middle of the beginning of a battle, and he was grinning, his lips overflowing with his confident arrogance.

I sprang up from the ground and ran at him, nostrils flaring and teeth barred. I was going to smack that smirk off his face if it was one of the last things I ever did. I could hear the ground thundering beneath my paws as I rushed at him; the wind whipped around everything around me as growls echoed out from deep in my throat.

But Obstimon didn't move a muscle; he just stood there, that grin on his face like someone had slipped with a permanent marker and hit his face. For a moment he reached back over his shoulder; when his hand reappeared, there was a long, brown cloth sack in his fist. He shook it, and the fabric fell.

Koji was hanging limply in Obstimon's fist, his head leaning over to the side in his unconsciousness; his hands and feet were bound, pain scattered across his appearance. I stopped in my tracks and stared at the motionless being before me; I tried to trust myself in thinking that he wasn't dead, just unconscious.

"I see you've met him before—"

I snarled angrily, but I was truly afraid of what might happen…or what had already happened. I had to get Koji away from him as quickly as possible. No more harm would come to him if I had anything left to say about it. "Don't you dare hurt my KojKoj!

Obstimon looked surprised, either that or he was mocking me again. I assumed that it was just him being a pain in the _oshiri_ and mocking me and what I'd just referred to Koji as. "Your KojKoj? I had no idea he belonged to you—"

I took a small step forward, and almost immediately Obstimon pulled Koji back with enough force to knock his bandana off of his head. I felt my heart skip a couple beats; for a moment I thought I was going to have a heart attack or stroke or something. I curled my claws restlessly into the ground as I shouted, "Be careful with him!"

A chuckle emitted from Obstimon's throat; he saw this as a game too. I would have to change the way he thought of me as his enemy. Right now, what he pictured me as was simple: just another weakling in the way of his master's plans. "We'll see, now won't we?"

He sighed, as if questioning if I was going to make another move at Koji as he continued to hold him at arms length away from me. "I can see that you still haven't lost your sense of fear or found somewhere deep inside your soul to lock your revealing emotions. You still haven't realized that we can track you with ease because of the emotions you show in your activity with your so-called companions.

"You make it so simple; why no challenge? Don't you know that you have more that just him to look after? Like right now…" Obstimon held out his other fist, and though it was empty, it was closed like it was. Then color began to fill in the empty air. Weregarumon was hanging there, his paws all tied together.

Tears filled my eyes at the sight before me; the two souls I loved more than anything in either of the two worlds in the palm of my enemy's hand, both of them clearly having gone through so much pain to be where they were right now.

"Why…" I choked out, rage boiling the tears in my eyes to the point I could've sworn they were bubbling. "Why hold the innocent hostage?! Why hurt those who've never earned it? Why must you do this—"

"Choose." Obstimon stated calmly and simply, his voice holding the reason for his being of the element of Death. His voice reeked of it, and his essence was nothing but that of the deceased. Even if I'd wanted to try and find a living bone in his body, I knew it would all just be a waste of my precious time.

"What do you mean choose? What—"

"They will die; right here, right now, both under your gaze. You will choose who is to die first. So, who will you choose?" I stared weakly at Obstimon; I'd never been asked to choose between anything before, and choosing if Koji or Weregarumon was going to die wasn't something I wanted to start with.

"No…I won't…I-I won't choose either of them! I…I can't…" I stammered, my voice showing that I was frightened beyond what I wanted Obstimon to know, that this was worse than anything that I'd been put through on account of the Three. I couldn't choose between them; I didn't want either of them to depart from my side.

I looked back up at Obstimon again, fury steaming in my emerald-green werewolf eyes. I let out a deep bellow as I called to Obstimon, "Fight me for them! If I win, you hand them over and get the hell out of my sight before I change my mind and kill you. If you win…" I gulped, knowing that I didn't have much of a chance in this. "If you win…you have the right to kill them, and let the blackness take me over as one of you...

"Do we have a deal?" I asked quietly, my head racing with thoughts that were completely out of my control. What's going to happen if I lose? Who's going to be there for everyone else? How is everything going to turn out if Koji's gone? How are you going to handle it?

But all of the answers seemed somehow simple: I wasn't going to lose. I didn't have to wonder about who would be there for them, because neither Koji, Weregarumon, nor I were going to die today. Koji wouldn't be gone; I would not let him die today. And I didn't know what I would do, and I didn't want to have to come across a time when I would learn.

But that brought about a new question: What were the others going to do if I ever were to die? If I was to lose to an enemy, or be completely shrouded in the deep black and become one of their enemies? What did I expect them to do? I didn't want to know, nor did I ever want to know. I didn't want to die.

Obstimon was staring intently at me as he thought over my proposition. He knew just as well as I did that I barely had a chance, and with what I'd wagered, he was getting a pretty good end of the stick. But I still had a hold on that stick also, and I wasn't about to let it go.

I watched hesitantly as he returned both Koji and Weregarumon to the bag, and swiftly jumped up into a tree next to him. He glanced down at me with his lifeless eyes as he told me coldly, "They stay here until one of us loses. But I can assure you this: It won't be me."

I growled with frustration and anxiety as he jumped back down from tying the bag to a high branch. I looked up at the sack for a moment; it was much, much too far up for me to just be able to jump up and get it now, and the tree branches wouldn't hold my beast spirit's weight. If I couldn't fight Obstimon and actually win, then I'd have to distract him at least long enough for me to be able to slide evolve back to Raveamon and just get them manually.

"Do we have a deal or not Obstimon?" I shouted, my muscles quivering with nervousness and my own rage, but mainly the fear. But I would have to ignore it if I was ever going to be able to clear my head again and come up with some kind of plan to get Koji and Weregarumon out of that tree. "My beast spirit against yours; leave Koji and Weregarumon out of the fight: What do you say?"

Obstimon bobbed his head once in acceptation of my proposition, and proceeded to evolve to Taurumon. He snorted as he called back to me, "It's your lack of hidden sentiment and terror that brings you such anxiety; it makes you simple to find after so much time. Nothing else: You have only yourself to blame for your pain!"

He let out a bull-roar as he moved towards me with great speed, the ground trembling with each step. I snarled and sprang at him as he neared me, my teeth piercing through the hair on his arm. I knew it had barely done anything as I let go, all I'd done was start annoying him.

Taurumon rumbled his voice as he called out, bringing his ax down upon me as he bellowed, "You should know one thing: If you had only controlled yourself, if only you'd known what you were meant to do here, none of your misery would've followed you here. I wouldn't have been able to follow you here!

"But you won't listen. You never have, and I know that you never shall! I intend to kill you now myself! I care no longer about what Lord Cherubimon wishes for his 'holy creation's purpose'; he'll have to find another use for his newest element! I'll enjoy consuming your data!"

Taurumon swung the rounded edge of the weapon at my neck, his intent: my death. But using my own mind—and a couple steps to the left—I knew I might have a chance against this _yaro_. If I could kick Sentimon's _oshiri_ with my beast spirit, who know what I could do against Taurumon.

But he had his beast spirit. Sentimon (as far as I knew) didn't and hadn't when we'd last fought. I didn't know what to expect from this guy; Gigasmon had been different, he'd been an idiot. It was clear that Obstimon (Taurumon) wasn't. I could only hope that maybe he'd lose control for half a second. That would give me just enough time to get Koji and Weregarumon before he could come after me again.

I snarled as I threw my head around. "Innovative Star!" The ball of multiple colored power surged like lightning through the air before me, moving like a wildfire in Taurumon's direction. I stood with my head held high; this had done wonders against Gigasmon, it would do the same against Taurumon…Right?

I could hope as much as I wanted to; that wasn't going to change what happened at all. Taurumon effortlessly swished the ax into the path of the attack, the metallic blade seeming to suck up the energy like a sponge to water. Or JP to chocolate.

"Dark Renaissance!" Taurumon moved the ax back and forth before him, rows and rows of black, bone-shaped, static-like arrows at me from the blade. I didn't know what to do now but just stand there and watch them come. Then it hit me: I never knew what to do.

I tried to move at the last minute possible, but by then it was all too late. The arrows dug deep into my skin, past my thick, armor-like fur and into the muscle beneath it. The saw-edged razors dug deep into my shoulders, back, and neck; there wasn't one place that they hadn't hit me.

Taurumon came up to me, laughing with scorn as I toppled from my feet to the ground awaiting my fall. I tried to get back up; that one attack shouldn't have been enough to knock me off of my feet. "Don't even try to get up now child," Taurumon told me with a pleasured disdain.

"The poison from the blades has already penetrated your blood stream by now. There is no more escape for you now Toshiku Yumari. This time…you are going to die…slowly, and painfully, but first…" He turned from me and began to head in the opposite direction.

I could only hope that he wasn't going back to get Koji and Weregarumon like I thought he was. Right now, I just couldn't get back up to fight him; to keep them safe. I knew I had to; I had to push past everything somehow. But my legs had already gone numb, and it was beginning to spread all throughout my body.

Taurumon was right. Soon, I would be dead. But it would take time; I was surprised that the pa—

I squeezed my eyes shut and let out an extensive, deafening yell as the pain Taurumon had been talking about just seconds before set in instantaneously. Now I knew what the ground felt like when landmines went off—and how the person felt too. I could sense each individual spot were an arrow had hit me suddenly spring out with an unbearable burning, which like the numbness—which only intensified the smoldering agony—was spreading.

"Mama!"

I struggled to open my eyes again as a familiar voice cried out to who I could only assume had been me. My eyes widened with devastation as I realized that it was Weregarumon who'd called to me. I could see him now; he was being cornered against the tree by Taurumon. Taurumon held his ax out to the side, ready to take a swing and send those poisoned arrows down at the helpless little Digi-baby.

Weregarumon was still too young; he couldn't take any of the attacks that Taurumon could dish out to him. And he wasn't strong enough to be able to send any kind of strong counter back at him. Taurumon was going to kill him. Taurumon was going to murder the Digimon that I had grown to love.

Well, that wasn't going to happen.

Getting shakily to my feet, I tried to get to both of them as fast as I could right now, which really wasn't that quick compared to what I could usually do. My heart pounded faster and faster inside me as the numbness began to creep up my neck, already beginning to take its effect on my lungs. But I couldn't stop; I had to make it to Weregarumon. I had to save him.

I came to a screeching halt in front of Weregarumon as Taurumon moved the ox before him again, the same black arrows appearing from the metallic surface. "Dark Renaissance!" He cried out again as the familiar stings from before pelted me from all sides again.

I hunched my shoulders and struggled to hold myself up in front of Weregarumon. I bit my tongue, pinching my eyes shut again as a howl of agony welled up inside my throat. I couldn't let Weregarumon know I'd been hurt, even though I could just assume that he could tell just fine.

But then I heard a whimper that cut through me reverberate from behind me. When I turned my head to look back at Weregarumon, a single black dart was sticking out of his ribcage. I wasn't sure how far along the arrow was already, but I knew there wasn't much time until the toxin was injected into him.

I leaned forward to pull it out with my teeth, hoping I wasn't already too late to get it out. But I didn't get to help him get it out of his skin; Taurumon slammed the side of the ax into me, sending me skidding away from Weregarumon. I strived back onto my feet and lumbered awkwardly back in Taurumon's direction.

I felt completely wasted. I didn't think I could win anymore, I didn't think I could even stall him now. I knew I wasn't strong enough to fight him; I'd never been able to fight worth _kuso_. I mean sure I could battle and everything, but I just went right off and attacked, I didn't think anything through. I'd never felt the need to until now.

But I didn't feel strength anymore; I felt the lava-anger I that always bubbled up inside my blood. Although, this time it was for a different reason. This time, I was right to be pissed. I didn't have to think twice about it and wonder why I did what I did afterwards.

I raised my head and let out the deepest howl I could utter, showing my entire wrath in the one, simple-seeming movement. Taurumon would pay dearly for hurting someone as gentle and affectionate as Weregarumon. I would make Taurumon feel this hurt; I would put him through as much as I could deal out.

I could feel all the lighting around me intensify as I made my way to Taurumon. The light seemed to be surging through me like a virus, making all of my motions feel feather-soft on the ground and natural again. No more numbness; no more pain.

Everything went white all around me, all of the trees disappeared in a cloud of pure bleakness. All I could see now was the faded black figure of Taurumon; he was standing there opposite me, and I could see his legs move as he steadily backed away from what he saw.

But that was just it; I wanted to see just what he was afraid of. Why the sudden change of temperament? Focusing hard on the horned creature before me, washed out color began to gradually reappear to my eyes. But I knew they weren't mine. I was seeing exactly what Taurumon was right now.

I saw before me—er, Taurumon, the night-shaded beast I knew to be myself. But something was different—actually, many things had obviously changed in just a little bit of time. And I had absolutely no idea how the hell any of it had happened in the first place.

Instead of the usual jade eyes that stared back at my enemy, all you could view now was a white that seemed to steam as it shone out from the sockets. It wasn't like the color had just left my eyes; the light was just shining out from my eyes in an evaporating-like way. And my fur seemed to ruffle itself like there was a breeze, but the air had gone still with anticipation.

"Are you afraid?" I asked Taurumon, my calm voice resounding off of everything like it would've if we'd been in a cave. It wasn't normal for me to be without a sense of unease when my temper had been triggered, but nevertheless, I didn't have one right now. I could feel a newfound strength filling the wounds I'd been given as I stood there, now out of Taurumon's mind and back to my own where I belonged.

He snarled at me as he continued to back away. Despite what he told me, anyone could've been able to tell that he was clearly afraid. "I'll never fear the likes of a monstrosity like you! Never shall I give you the pleasure of knowing if you've the upper hand or otherwise—"

"I can change that," I sensed all of the power that I had in my veins rush my blood faster and faster as both light and darkness grew all around me. I didn't know how it could do that, but it could. And I wasn't about to complain about it. I raised my head and let out a howl, my words coming through within the sound, "Mondlicht Menschenwolf!"

Moving forward with the speed of lightning, the ground rumbling with eagerness beneath me as the wind began to pick up all around me again and the light overflowing in my eyes streaming out behind me like steam as I ran. I felt nothing but the elements around me right now: Earth, Wind, and Light. I didn't understand why I could feel them the way I could right now.

Maybe it had something to do with the thing about the verre that Vigomon and Obstimon had been talking about a while ago. I'd have to check it out as soon as I could. That is, as long as I didn't forget all about it.

I slammed into Taurumon like a military tank; fearless for the moment and full of force and strength while they still had it. The earth quaked underneath Taurumon's feet, setting him off balance for the wind to blow him over, his senses weakened by the blinding light shining in his eyes.

I stood still and silent as Taurumon groaned furiously and returned to his human spirit. He sat up and looked at me with cold-blooded hatred in his dead eyes. But he didn't scare me anymore. Well, at least right now. I felt like I could take on anything and kick the _kuso_ out of it.

Obstimon got back up to his feet and called out to me, "Your darkness will always be there for the rest of your life! And it will only get worse the longer you try and fight against it! When you fall, when you give into its temptations, you should know…we will come for you.

"If you think you can defeat it yourself; if you truly think that your companions can save you from yourself, death is all that you will find awaiting you. No mercy; nothing but pain and more suffering will be left to accompany you. You will never win against it. Alone or with the aid of your so-called friends, you will achieve nothing until you give everything up. Your heartfelt emotions, your soul, and your life."

With those as his last words, he turned quickly from me and ran, becoming just a fuzzy difference in the atmosphere again. I barely knew what he'd been talking about, but I knew that whatever he'd been telling me about losing against the darkness and dying…it would never happen.

Suddenly I felt completely drained of all of the strength I'd just had. I thudded to the ground, instantaneously returning from my beast spirit to normal again. "_Yabai_…" I breathed as I pushed myself slowly off of the ground and back up onto my knees, finally standing up after nearly collapsing onto the dirt from exhaustion.

"That…oh, man…_Kamisama_, that…it…it felt so right, but it—" I gripped my side and fell to my knees as a searing pain shot through me like hellfire again and again. It was like being shot at over and over and over, unable to see who was trying to hurt you and incapable of getting away to safety.

"It hurt so much…" I made a decision right then and there as I got up once again: I could only use that attack if I got used to it more. But if that wasn't the problem, and it was just the attack itself that took every scrap of reserved valor from me, then I could use that strike if it was one of those last option things.

I turned around and tears sprang to my eyes at the sight that I saw. Weregarumon was laying at the base of the tree that Koji was still tied up in, the arrow still sticking out of him. He wasn't moving, and I didn't think he was breathing either.

I ran over to his side and fell to my knees when I reached him. It was a sad scene to rest my eyes upon; I wished I could look away, but that wouldn't help him and I knew it. The first thing I had to do was clear, but not simple: Get that _chikushou_ arrow out of him. But going from my own knowledge on how it felt to be taken out…it was going to hurt a hell of a lot. For both of us.

Even though it was going to cause him pain, it was better than having the entire amount of the arrow's poison injected into him. But how was I supposed to know if I was already too late to save him from that? I guess I wouldn't know until he woke up and told me how he was feeling.

I reached out with caution towards the cause of Weregarumon's wound. When my fingertips touched the side of the arrow, Weregarumon flinched instantly, but did not open his eyes. I set a hand on Weregarumon to hold him down as I wrapped my fingers around the arrow itself.

I wanted to close my eyes and look away; I didn't want to be in this world anymore. I hadn't wanted to come in the first place. I barely even knew why I got on that train in the first place. But I had, and I was here, and this place needed all the help it could get.

Connecting minds with Weregarumon for a moment, I whispered into his thoughts, hoping that he might be able to hear me, _"Garu? I'm not going to lie: This is going to hurt. But you're strong, and I know you can take it. I won't put you through anything that you can't handle on your own. If you can't take this hurt,"_

I blinked back tears and gulped as I continued to ready both of us for the harm that would befall its horrible presence on our souls. _"If I can feel the pain this puts you through, I think I might be able to take it all away too. I would rather die myself, then let any one of you suffer pain I can take away and bear for you."_

I cried out in that same agony as I pulled the arrow out of Weregarumon's side and flung it away from me. If I couldn't see it, maybe this pain would go away faster. I wasn't sure if I'd really taken all of it away from Weregarumon or not, but I knew it would've hurt a hell of a lot more to take it out if the toxic substance inside each of the arrows had still been there.

Looking up, I pressured myself to leave Weregarumon for a moment. Step one: done. Step two: Get Koji out of the tree before the rope came untied and he fell. I didn't want to wait any more than I had to; I didn't want to risk Koji getting hurt any more than he already was.

Planning to leave Garu only for a minute, I leapt up for the lowest branch I could find. My fingers barely caught hold of it, but I refused to let go and fall; if I fell, pain would shoot through me again and I might not want to get up again. But I had to get Koji down, and I couldn't take another chance today.

I jumped and pulled myself from branch to branch. I thought this was going pretty well as I began to near the top of the tree, the place where Koji was tied up in the brown cloth sack. Hopefully this was going to end pretty well and I was going to be able to get Koji back down to ground level without any incident.

But hope as I might, it never did anything for me. The next branch I stepped on after thinking everything was going to be fine snapped underneath me before I had the chance to grab hold of something. Feeling myself begin to fall, I reached out frantically for the closest branch to me. It was just out of my reach.

A strong wind began to raise itself all around me, powerful enough to make me glide forward momentarily. I lunged in a mid-air attempt to catch the branch again, the breeze still pushing me further from behind. The bark unexpectedly touched my fingertips and I strained to drag myself up onto it.

I sat there on the branch with one foot tucked up underneath me uncomfortably as I panted; how in the hell had that happened? Not that I was complaining that Zoe's element had helped me all on its own, but most times that kind of thing just didn't happen.

Then I thought a second time as I started climbing upwards again.

It _had _happened before. Or, at least sort of. Sometimes when I went in for a smack at the enemy, the leaves and grass would flutter with the swift movement of the air currents; they helped me to move faster to transfer the power of the attack and cause some kind of damage.

_Didn't it happen with the ground a couple of times too? _I thought back as far as I could (at least as far as the whole shebang with the verres had started) as I pulled myself up another couple of branches. I could remember that it had been just before Vigomon told me that I'd found the way to command the verre that the ground had come up before me and stuck Vigomon.

I learned when I was less than two thirds of the way to Koji how much easier this would've been if I'd spirit-evolved to Raveamon first, and then started to climb. Koji would probably be safe on the grass below if I'd only planned at least a little bit before I'd made the jump to the tree branches and started up.

Shaking my head and yanking myself up another branch, I realized something else; that didn't matter. I was already here; I'd already started on my way up to get him. I had to force myself to quit worrying and believe that everything was going to be alright until something bad happened.

And besides, Obstimon/Taurumon was gone, and I knew for sure that he wasn't going to be coming back soon…At least not without help sent from Cherubimon. But, how were they supposed to get me if they didn't know which way I'd gone to start out with? If I could get Koji and Weregarumon, and take off fast enough, maybe they'd lose my trail before I got back to the others.

The branch I'd just stepped off of snapped, and I grabbed quickly onto another tree limb as I began wondering about the others. Where could they be right now? Were they okay, or was something happening to them? Or had something already happened to them?

I stopped, both hands wrapped tightly around the branch just above me and the tips of my shoes helping little to balance me. Now I knew how that half a slinky felt when I'd straightened it out in my boredom as a kid (I had a fair amount of spare time as a kid…and went through a lot of slinkies…). I closed my eyes and tried to find the burning scent in the air around me; I needed to get into contact with the others, or at least locate them.

The uncomfortable position didn't really help though. All it did was give me a sore back—not that I hadn't been aching already from Taurumon's arrows, and the fact he'd stepped on my head and made me see all kinds of pretty, sparkly stars. And, not only did I get a show, but I learned that I could not breathe dirt.

Suddenly my eyes snapped open again; the smell of ashes had crossed my nostrils. All around me everything began to fade into nothingness as a telepathic path was crossed somewhere in my head. The same sensations crept across my skin every time, but I could tell by the way that it moved throughout me that this was one of those things that I just wouldn't get used to no matter how many times it happened. And this time I could tell by the flame-hot smolder ricocheting along my skin that I would be connected to Takuya other than anyone else.

I nearly let go of the tree because of the sudden lack of sensation, but quickly grasped onto the tree's reassuring branches again. I could hear Takuya's thoughts; all of them quick and afraid. I pressed my own into his head to try and slow them down so he could think along with me, _"Takuya, shut the hell up and tell me what's going on that's got you so freaked."_

_"Toshiku?! Is that you?!" _He seemed surprised that he could hear me in his head. But I guess this was kinda like a class for him; he learned something new. And for once, he listened to something other than the teacher saying, 'Get ready to go home so I don't have to go print off another pop quiz because Takuya didn't study! Again!'

_"Yeah, but that doesn't matter. What's wrong with you?"_ Actually, that was a kinda obvious question…Never mind, it would take too long to go through that list. On the other hand, what was actually right with him wouldn't take that long. JP's would be even shorter. 'He likes chocolate.' _Scratch that, he's obsessed with it…So, there's nothing on that list to begin with. Easiest. List. Ever._

_"It's Grumblemon! He's back again and the others are stuck in this giant thing of mud that pretty much swallowed them out of nowhere; and before all that happened I got my beast spirit and nearly squished Tommy and everyone else into a twitchy pulp but Tommy helped me get control again before that happened, and then Grumblemon showed up after we ran along these root-things—or so Bokomon told us, for a minute I thought all of that stuff was pretzels—but anyway, now Grumblemon's got Tommy and I can barely fight him because of the trees that'll catch fire if I attack him like what happened before with my beast spirit,, and I don't want to lose control of it again, and—"_

_"Takuya!" _I shouted inside my—er, his head. If he said one more word, I was gonna clobber him from the inside out. I knew I'd never done that before, but I could at least get some kind of sparkly thing for trying. _"Summarize! Summarize all of that before my—actually, your head pops!"_

_"I need your help!" _I started wondering to myself after listening to his four words why in _Kamisama_'s name he hadn't just said that in the first place. If he'd said that before, I might already be there by now. But _no_, of course not. He's just _gotta_ tell me his whole life story.

_"Next time you need it, just say it."_ I grumbled as I finally cut off the connection and kept shuffling up the tree to Koji. I was getting closer with each step—_Well, duh_—and I was only a couple of frickin' huge jumps away from him now. When I got to about there, that would be a nice time to have extendo-arms or something.

I got to the first one, and thought I was gonna fall short of it or something, but apparently that leap had been smaller than I'd originally thought. No such luck for the other ones though. Of course; nearly got hit by lightning in the human world, why not fall out of a frickin' tree while I'm at it? _Hey, if I'd gotten hit a couple times, I'd have a chance at winning the lottery…Heeeerree liiiighhhtttniiinnng!_

I shook my head at my own thoughts; I was starting to sound like Zoe and winning a bunch of money so she could go waste perfectly good dough on pink and lavender crap. Or Takuya and…well, pretzels.

I smiled with slight relief when I was only one more jump away from the branch just below the limb Koji was tied to. I'd never been so happy to see a tree branch in my life before that I could remember. I didn't think anyone had ever been so glad to see a piece of wood like I was right now.

The grin slowly slid from my face to the ground when I noticed something: There was no tree limb for me to step on to get to a place where I could actually reach Koji. All this work to get up the stupid tree, only to find that in the end, I couldn't even get to him. And now, not only that, but I had to go save everyone else and kick Grumblemon's _oshiri_, again.

I sighed with a slender annoyance. I didn't mind helping Koji; he was so special to me. I could care less if I had to help him out every day; at least I got to be with him. It was the others that irritated me. It was like they could barely even protect themselves or fight at all. If I had to be there every time an enemy showed up, they were going to lose their lives one of these times. I groaned frustratedly as I mumbled to myself,"But apparently, I can't let that happen to them, now can I?"

I let out a grunt as I lunged from my branch to the tree trunk itself, the bark pressing hard against my face as I grabbed on. My nails curled into the dirt and tree bark as I started to move awkwardly up the tree. If I couldn't just go from branch to branch up to him, I'd have to climb up the old fashioned way.

I thanked _Kamisama_ I hadn't had to do this the whole way, or I would've fallen a hell of a lot more. Anyone watching would've been asking themselves, 'What the hell is that person on over there? She keeps going up the tree, then falling, then back up. _Nani yo_?'

Letting out a loud sigh as I finally reached a branch that I decided was close enough to where Koji was, I pushed off of the trunk and grasped the branch with my hurting hands before I could fall. I got up onto my feet slowly, the limb thick enough to uneasily hold my weight, but it was still thin, and I had trouble balancing on it.

I wobbled on the little almost-twig-limb-thing as I tried hard to spirit-evolve, focusing hard on the small bands of data that encircled my hands; they always seemed to remind me of the mystifyingly beautiful aurora borealis.

But the northern lights were nothing compared to the wonder that was still trapped like a bird in a cage before me. Koji Minamoto was far more stunning than the multi-colored lights in the northern half of the human world could ever be, or try to be.

Koji's smile was one of the wonders of my world. The way his face glowed with heavenly warmth that could melt any piece of ice I could find. He had a good chance of being the cause of global warming. If only he showed that gleaming smile to me more often. If not, I would pay him anything just to see it once a day.

And I would do anything just to have him let me watch the way he walked. His black hair blew out behind him like the manner the breeze toppled through the tall golden grassed of a prairie. All because of that one motion, I'd decided that the next time Koji and I were alone, or the next time we were far behind the group, if I saw his hair flow in the perfect Koji-way, I'd say something about it. Flowy flow…yeah, I'd say that.

But then there was his eyes. Those two beautiful twins could gaze into your soul whenever they pleased; he could see how you felt inside if you weren't showing him or telling him what he knew you were really feeling inside. By the way his eyes rested upon yours, you could just tell he could see past yours like open doors to your mind and your soul. I'd never met another person whose eyes were that bright, but that dark; that ready to care, but so emotionally hiding. It was like he was afraid I was going to leave him one day; but that was one thing I wouldn't do.

I could never understand him even if I really tried. But then again, had I ever given him a real chance to show himself? Had I ever taken one of the chances he'd given to me to express how I what I sensed inside for him? No, I hadn't…I would have to change that. Koji meant more to me than anything I knew in the world—worlds—so I may as well show it while I still had chances to.

After shaking myself from the recesses of my head, I crossed the beams of data and became Raveamon herself again. I eased the pressure on my spine by slowly relaxing my shoulders; on my human spirit feet, it was much easier to balance on the small limb. Everything about me was heightened when ever I spirit-evolved, but that included the apparent darkness.

I didn't understand how it was really that evil. I mean, sure it had been that which caused me to turn on Koji, and the others too, but maybe it was just a bit like my beast spirit. Maybe it was just something I needed to learn to control on my own; I couldn't afford to risk the group's help with this kind of a thing. Nor would I have even asked for it.

I growled with aggravation as I reached out a single talon and cut the rope that was keeping the sack stuck to the branch in front of me. I had to focus, or I would make a mistake, and end up cutting or dropping Koji. Both of which were not options that I was willing to take or risk happening.

Taking the bag firmly, but carefully in my arms so I wouldn't hurt or let go of it, I jumped skillfully down from the high branch in a pencil-drop-like technique. Bending my knees lightly and curving my wings to catch a current of wind, I steadily began to make the descent from the tree to the pending soil below.

I touched the ground like a feather falling to the floor, the grass around me flopping rhythmically all around as my beating wings sent the wind into small torrents in the sky. The sky itself was already starting to fade the once vividly blue horizon into a light orange as the sun began threatening to set before I got back to the others.

I pulled Koji out of the sack in one swift, but extremely gentle motion. I could only assume that he was hurt; Obstimon would pay for what he'd done to him. I would make sure of it by any means that were set up in my path.

Koji's face still held a faint expression of pain, but now that he was back where he should be it was starting to return to his normal, sleeping expression. His wrists and ankles were bound tightly with darkly shaded, thin, almost wire-seeming ropes that had already begun to cut into his skin.

I held him softly as I raised a talon, using the sharp tip to vigilantly snap the bands from him. As I returned my hand to help embrace him in my arms, I looked more attentively at his face. Dread, sorrow, and lava-hot anger pooled in my scarlet eyes as I saw a small incision just before his left ear. The blood that was slowly oozing out was beginning to clot, and I knew he would heal quickly. But there would be a scar; a constant reminder to everyone that the Three meant business. To all of us.

Letting out a low growl, I pulled Koji in close to me. I had to keep my rage under at least a little bit of control. If I didn't, I might lose what common sense I had and forget that Koji and Garu were my friends. But I knew exactly who wasn't. _"Obstimon, if you can hear me, I want you to know something: If you ever cross my path again, I don't care how long it takes me, I don't care if you hurt me, I swear to Kamisama I will kill you for what you've done to Koji and my little Garu. I will never forgive you for this."_

I snarled again and drew Koji to me as a do-you-really-think-that-matters-to-me laughter echoed through the trees and the blowing wind to my ears. _"You and I both know you aren't strong enough to do that. You haven't grown up enough yet to be able to go through with those little threats little girl. You've never been brave; you'll never be able to do what you wish to so badly._

_"I can see into your soul; you still need that help to live with the loss of your family. The loss of your own, once happy, care-free life. But if you look deep inside yourself, and really think, you'll find it's your fault that they're dead. That the dark you are unaware of is the real cause of your unhappiness. But that is only because you don't embrace it—" _

Raising my head to the sky, I closed my eyes tightly and let out a long yell that drowned out everything around me. The air became silent and carried out the scream as far as the ends of the Digital World, maybe even on to the human world itself. "I don't need some help to carry on! I don't need some strength to keep me strong! And I don't need to turn my back on everything to follow a path that'll just take me somewhere I'm already going!"

I panted, funneling out all of my rage through my ragged breathing. I meant all of what I'd shouted, and I believe all of it too. I wanted to be alone; I'd always wanted my life to be that way since the incident with my family. I wished I could just be the person who didn't stand out in the crowd at all. But I'd always seemed to be the only one that stuck out like a screw in a package of bubble wrap.

I lowered my head to let my face glare without a reason down at the dirt below me. Falling to my knees, Koji still sleeping silently with my arms wrapped around him, I de-spirit-evolved. My bottom lip began to quiver uncontrollably as harmonic words forced their way out of my mouth.

Singing wasn't something I really felt like doing right now, but the feelings welling up inside me were unbearable: the remembrance of my family's passing always stuck me painfully, but then there was that Obstimon planned to harm everyone in the group. And all this was because of me, and me alone.

I knew it wouldn't help, but I might be able to calm myself again if I did. " It's the quiet night that breaks me. I cannot stand the sight of this familiar place. It's the quiet night that breaks me. Like a dozen paper cuts that only I can trace. All my books are laying useless now; all my maps will only show me how to lose my way.

" Oh call my name, you know my name. And in that sound, everything will change. Tell me it won't always be this hard. I am nothing without you…but I don't know who you are.

Tears began to seep from my eyes like blood from a wound, rolling down my face in little columns. But I didn't just want to stop right in the middle of this. If I was going to start something, I may as well finish it too. " It's the crowded room that breaks me. Everybody looks so luminous, and strangely young. It's the crowded room that's never heard. No one here can say a word of my native tongue. I can't be among them anymore; I fold myself away before it burns me numb.

" Oh call my name, you know my name. And in that sound, everything will change. Tell me it won't always be this hard. I am nothing without you…but I don't know who you are….I am nothing…yeah~ "

I stayed there on my knees; I didn't want to get up and help the others, I wanted to stay here and wait to see if Koji and/or Weregarumon would wake up. Suddenly I clenched my teeth; I was treating both of them like JP would treat Zoe: he had a one-track mind that was completely centered on her and himself. I got to my feet, Koji held carefully, but intimately in my arms; I wasn't going to treat either of them like Zoe.

I walked steadily over to Weregarumon, trying not to bounce in each step like I did whenever I was moving as fast as I was. If I made too much of a rigid motion, I might hurt him more than he already was; I could only guess that he'd be aching when he woke up. If he even did wake up after all of that.

_Don't think about that; you know just as well as someone who isn't even here that Koji's going to be alright. But that doesn't mean I can't hope he gets better soon._ I shuddered before gently setting Koji down on the ground next to Weregarumon. I guided every single movement of his body so he wouldn't hit the ground that hard. _Okay, next dilemma: How the hell is this gonna work?_

I had two that I needed to carry, but I didn't even know if I could carry Koji without unintentionally hurting him along the way. What was going to happen if I had both of them? Was something going to come up along the way back to the others if I wasn't careful?

Sighing exhaustedly—honestly, standing wasn't something that I really felt like doing; I felt more like just falling over into a slumber, but that wasn't really an option—I pulled out my D-Tector; I could simply spirit-evolve to Wereraiomon and be able to easily carry both of them. And the added 'bonus' would be that I'd be able to get to the others and Grumblemon faster if I used that spirit other than my human one.

The almost electric data swarmed around me like bees buzz around an intruder to their hive. I could smell all of the different, unique scents, signaling that I was in the form of my beastly element again. A tingling of power swept over my muscles, a blizzard of strength drenched every cell with the always-disagreeing force that summoned one thing: I had to go now while my strength was returning this quickly. I had to do something to keep my beast spirit busy, or I may as well just go on a rampage willingly.

Arching my thick neck and leaning down slowly, I picked both Koji and Weregarumon up off of the ground like wolf in the other world would her pups. I smiled to myself as I snapped back to my feet and sprinted off with them dangling securely from my muzzle. Koji would've been so pissed at me for doing this if he was awake. I wondered how he'd react if I told him about this when he woke up. Or would he even remember any of it to begin with? He and Takuya hadn't remembered anything from when Sentimon first showed up; what if this ended up being the same?

Tossing the thoughts and questions from my head, I lengthened my strides and picked up speed rapidly. I had a couple of problems on my hands, a couple of which I solved in about two and a half seconds and was just wasting my time thinking about in the first place. Not that there was really any better way to waste time besides admiring the spiffily wonderful Minamoto, but that wasn't a waste of time. That was a hobby.

The smell of an on-coming thunderstorm and chocolate (…I think it's Neemon) was beginning to make my nostrils twitch as I began to near it. But even more than that, my nose was assaulted by the increasing aroma of campfire smoke (maybe Bokomon finally got sick of carrying that book around with him all the time and decided to cook Neemon). I knew I had to be getting close now.

Glancing down for only a moment, I realized that I'd better start watching my steps now if I didn't want to face plant into the ground and jeopardize Koji and Weregarumon. All over the forest floor there were thick, lightly sun-browned tree roots, making little nets that could trap small Digimon, and send larger Digimon—or people—tripping (see ya next fall!).

When I looked back up, I let out a low growl, trying to keep it quiet so I didn't blow out either of my friends' ears. Gigasmon was sitting up on a large tree branch that didn't seem to be able to hold him no matter what, but apparently it could. But either way, I was pretty sure I could hear the tree using all kinds of pretty colorful words along the lines of, '_Shimatta_! Get the hell off my limb you_ kuso-atama_!'

And dangling from his fist was Tommy, who currently had a rope that Gigasmon had probably pulled out of either nowhere, or his _oshiri_ tied—actually, it looked to be quite loosely—around him. But, before I noticed he was being held there by Gigasmon, I'd thought he was floating against his will…I guess not.

My ears twitched and curved forward automatically when I heard a fretful, but raged growl come from someone; it sounded like Takuya to me. I could hear his thoughts wondering worriedly where the heck I was; but I still was a little ways away. The only reason I could see or hear all of them in the first place was that all of my vital senses became exceptionally enhanced whenever I spirit-evolved to Wereraiomon or Raveamon.

Tommy's voice came through high-pitched and whiny-sounding like normal, but this time, there wasn't that 'I'm about to cry again' tone to it. It surprised me beyond all reasonable doubt that it didn't sound like normal. "No! Don't do it Takuya! Don't trade your spirit for me! It's okay, I'm not afraid!"

_Wow, even he's changing. Usually when Tommy's captured, he gets scared and nearly wets his pants—or, so he said in the Toyagumon's plane. I can't believe that he's already starting to find out how to change himself—if he really does wet his pants, he's figured out how to change both mentally and physically. If he can change the way he is…mentally…why is it so hard for me to do?_

I watched and raced through the underbrush faster as Gigasmon began to pull up the rope that Tommy was tied up in. Now he was holding him in his fist; Tommy was in a lot more danger in Gigasmon's fist than dangling on the rope, Gigasmon could easily crush him like a little girl's doll. Thank _Kamisama_ Gigasmon doesn't look like a little girl.

"No!" Takuya cried, his voice rising nearly to a squeak, everything he was feeling showing through in his reaction with a greater strength that what he could conjure bodily. I picked up my pace again, extending my long legs as far as I could get them to move as Takuya kept speaking, this time to me. _"Toshiku! Tommy needs help now! Where are you?!"_

Breathing heavily, I set Koji and Weregarumon down on the ground far from where they might be in the range of an attack, and raced forward. I was now maneuvering much more hastily and with greater ease since I didn't have to watch out in case I accidentally kicked one of them.

I could see everyone now: Takuya standing practically helpless there, looking up with anger and worry at Gigasmon and Tommy, while all the others were trapped in a big puddle—er, ocean—of mud that seemed to have just come out of scenic nowhere, tried to swallow them, gotten all of them stuck in its throat, tried to puke them back up, but it didn't work, so it then decided that them being stuck was going to have to be good enough.

I pounded the ground in my rhythmic running pattern; I knew what I was going to do. The muscles in my legs were burning with the anticipation of feeling Gigasmon laying limp beneath my padded paws once again. I would fight him, and I intended to actually succeed this time. Nothing was going to stop me from getting Tommy back from that nude, Oompa Loompa-rhino thing.

I let out a bellow as I reached a small hill and sprung from it as soon as I felt my claws begin to curve with the downward slope of the mound. Leaping easily over all of their heads, I shouted as I hit the ground in front of Takuya, a threatening rumble from my throat deepening my voice for a moment, "I'm here!"

Gigasmon found the time to snicker at my attempts to help and swing away on a vine that I hoped would snap. Then maybe his brain would go back up to his head instead of hanging around his _oshiri_. Snarling again, I slide evolved to Raveamon and catapulted into the trees after him.

Beating the air with my thickly feathered wings and running along the branches and trunks of the gigantic trees, I started to gain on him faster than I'd thought at first was possible. I'd always loved to run after things; I always had to be the person behind everyone else because I wanted to have the choice to catch up and lead, or just choose one person out of the group and take 'em out. Ya know, your normal tackling game.

Stopping on a branch and balancing against the thick, complicatedly-designed bark of the trunk, I glanced between Gigasmon, Tommy, the others, and Takuya, who had now—or so I could only assume—spirit-evolved to his actually quite impressive dragon of a beast spirit. I was only about half his size when I was Wereraiomon.

After refocusing on Gigasmon, I propelled myself forward with heavy thumps of my wings against the humid, sunlight-drenched air around everyone. The air became a thick current of breezes in a matter of seconds as I cut through it, my hair and feathery wings windswept behind me.

I rammed my shoulder into Gigasmon's side, knocking his grip from the vine and sending him slamming into the nearest tree trunk with a shocked grunt. I was catching everything and everyone off guard today. Smirking with a mocking humor at his surprise, I held him against the tree with a fist as I questioned, "Miss me Big_oshiri_mon?"

He snarled and swung an angry fist at me; I couldn't help but notice that he'd decided to use the one that had Tommy in it, and that just really didn't make much sense to me. But hey, it was Gigasmon. What're ya gonna do? Make him smart? Heh, yeah, good luck with that.

Even though my first reaction was to either duck or get out of the way, I stayed put and waited for the randomly spiked arm to come hurtling towards me. When it was less than a foot or so from me, I raised both hands, talons sharp and ready to shred his tough flesh like scissors against lace. I could tell this was all kinda strange to Tommy just by the look he had placed on his face.

As soon as I felt the rough skin against my palms, I curled my fingers and locked my claws into him, all ten piercing into his hand with absolute ease. Gigasmon let out a howl before opening his fist, releasing Tommy from his grip. I held Gigasmon back as Tommy began to scream, falling through the air faster than I'd first anticipated.

_Kuso..._ As I held Gigasmon back against the tree with all the force I had as he tried to slam me out of the way to retrieve his hostage, I glanced down. Seeing Takuya (a.k.a. his beast spirit, whatever its name was) there, I shouted down to him, my voice low and ragged as I tried to restrain Gigasmon, "Takuya! Go, hurry! Catch Tommy!"

Takuya looked up at me for a moment before fully calculating what I'd just said. But I wasn't that surprised; with how big his brain was (or how big it wasn't), it probably took a while for stuff to get through his skull and stay, not just going through one ear and making a beeline for the other. Actually, he probably couldn't calculate anything at all; calculators are smart, they can do math in…well, as fast as you can press the problem in.

I watched nervously, wondering if it had been a bad idea to have Takuya get Tommy, but I knew that there really wasn't anyone else to do it. But I smiled lightly when I saw him dive forward, and catch Tommy in his large-taloned hands like a football. _Touchdown! Pass completed by Kanbara!_

But Gigasmon found an opportunity to strike while I was caught up in my moment of half-respect for Takuya. The next thing I knew, a giant, sun-dried dirt shaded fist came plummeting upon me like a bowling ball to the triangle of pins. And like the pin in the front, I was hit hard by the blow, and sent tumbling down from the branches.

Like every person who's falling from a tall tree, I expected to hit the ground hard. But I didn't even hit the ground; instead, I landed on the hard, pointy-in-three-places—I was glad I hadn't landed on any of those horns either—beast spirit head of Takuya. Leaning over—and hoping I didn't just get myself stuck on his head—I looked into his big blue eyes—well, I could only see one, so…big blue _eye_. Although, they were not even close to being as magnificently sapphire and stunning as Koji's, they were tranquil and peaceful as far as beast spirits' expressions went. Or at least as far as I'd known them; I'd never even seen Koji's yet.

"Where'd you come from?" He asked, his strangely deep voice sounding happy to see me, but still a bit confused at my reason for landing strangely on his head like I had. Couldn't say I really blamed him for wondering. I would be a bit curious too if someone fell out of the sky and landed on me.

I glanced at Tommy, who was just kinda standing there in front of both of us like this was all kinda normal to him now. I shrugged at him; I didn't know what I was supposed to say. So, I went with the very first thing that came to mind. "Well…uh, ya know…" I pointed up with one finger and motioned for him to look that way. "Up there, in that general direction."

Tommy smiled at my gesture, but then he returned his attention to Takuya and the fact that he was in his beast spirit's form at the present moment. By the tone of his voice, I wondered if he'd even noticed Takuya like that until now. "Hey, check it out! You've got control of your beast spirit!"

"Yeah," I agreed with a half-grin, glad that at least one of our dysfunctional little group could control their beast spirit. I didn't know if Koji could or not, but I could only assume I'd learn that he could just fine. I patted where I guessed his cheek would be, kind of like thumping him on the back, but I couldn't reach there right now. "I'm kinda impressed Kanbara—Ow…"

"What? What's the matter?" Takuya asked me quickly, an utter fear of his beast spirit and what he knew it could do, and what he didn't know it could do apparent in the worried tone of his voice. But it wasn't him; it couldn't have been him. A spirit couldn't feel this meaningfully warm to me. "Did I hurt you?"

"No, no, it's just….my hand…" Pulling my hand away from his head, palm facing the sky, I looked down at my glove. There was a small, red crystal-looking rock in my hand, the pattern of the red, yellow, and orange colors resembling that of a flame. I was astounded to be able to feel the strange warmth through my glove and on my skin. _Is…is this…a verre?_

The warmth in my hand wasn't as hot as that from an actual fire, but you could feel that it was that kind of burning feeling that it was supposed to resemble in the feel of its touch. It felt right to be there, laying in my palm like any other jewel would, but there was a sort of incomplete, reckless, almost stupidity-like sensation that exerted from it along with that warm heat. I wondered if every verre felt this way.

"Oh, well," Takuya got back up onto his feet as he tried to find a way to answer me. But there really wasn't that much to reply to something as simple as what I'd said. All you could really say was, "Uh, okay..._baka_…' And that's pretty much what he was thinking too. He just didn't call me an idiot; that's one for the book. "If you're okay, then you should go help Tommy get the others unstuck while I fight Gigasmon—"

"Big_oshiri_mon," I corrected, closing my fist around the little object of heat and smiling half-heartedly up at Takuya's giant beast spirit. It was a lot bigger up close; I knew he'd have no trouble beating Gigasmon. But he may as well keep up the trend and use that name. "Big_oshiri_mon. You can't say I'm wrong 'cause you've gotta admit, it is true."

"I'm not gonna swear in front of Tommy. You know how little kids remember everything ya say. At least Shinya does. My mom got so pissed at me for teaching him at least four; he mighta overheard a couple other ones." Takuya told me in a hushed, serious tone, but by the time he was nearly done talking, the very least way you could describe it was 'He was completely and utterly filled with glee.' And that's gotta be a lot of gleefulness.

"Whatever you say," I replied with another half-smile; I noticed that even though he said he wouldn't swear, he'd said one already. I wondered if he—or Tommy—had noticed that. My smile faded into my bleak, deep in thought expression it usually was, "Now listen,"

The smile reappeared for only a split second of a moment as I decided to make fun of his spirit of flame again. Both he and the way the spirits resembled that of an alligator or some kind of shrimp made it too easy. "Go kick Gigasmon's _oshiri_ for me Sally the Salamander, and you kick it good n' hard."

He cocked his head slightly at the whole 'Sally' part, but hey, if someone walked up to you and just called you Sally out of the blue, you'd kinda wonder about it, wouldn't ya? But he got over it faster than the normal person would've—thought that could've been expected, 'cause he's…well, not normal. "Yeah, I'll kick it all right!" He exclaimed before taking off on his huge orange wings up to Gigasmon. From below, he looked like a big, fluffy butterfly that could burn you to cinders. Don't you just wanna go up and hug him?

"C'mon Toshiku," Tommy exclaimed as he pulled at my arm, trying desperately to move a Digimon that was clearly not very simple for a boy in the third grade shorter than a Chihuahua to budge. "We have to go and help the others get out of the mud. Takuya'll be fine now that he's got control of his beast spirit!" _That mud tried to eat them, and you can't forget that it was their fault in the first place for not moving out of the way before it tried to swallow them in the first place. And besides that, we can only hope that Takuya's got control of Mr. Alligator over—er, up there._

"Fine," I thought about picking him up and just saving everyone the time that it would take him to get over there on his own, but he seemed to have convinced himself that he was going to lead me there like some kind of little lost puppy. I hated when people did that to me, when they thought I wasn't strong enough to do something on my own, when they didn't think I could handle something all on my own.

But I could, I had to. There wasn't anyone else that had to help me, or had to take the brand of my family's passing upon their back but me. But my kind of brand was different than that of something you'd burn into the hide of cattle; scars from my past were all that I needed to remember, the burn on my skin when another wound healed into a scar across a previous one. They were all just forgotten and frequently remembered memories in my eyes.

I walked speedily alongside Tommy as he ran as fast as his shrimpy legs could carry him, which was pretty much as fast as a snail compared to everything else around him. Even the grass was moving faster than he was. But I had to admit, he was probably going faster than JP could ever move. Unless there was chocolate wherever he was running to of course. If you put chocolate just beyond the finishing line, there was no doubt whatsoever that JP wouldn't win.

Stopping next to the large puddle of mud with everyone besides Koji, Takuya and Tommy—well, he almost fell in—was stuck in. Apparently Tommy got first pick of who he was going to pull out, so he went for the easier of the two who were actually stuck: Zoe. Leaving me stuck yanking JP out.

I waited for a minute, just standing there with my arm looking like it was the only part of me that knew I had to get JP out of the mud no matter how much I disliked him; I couldn't say hate, it was just like an apology: Used too much and not for the right purposes.

Finally, with an unsure sigh and hesitant motions, I leaned forward and reached out for JP to take my hand. "Take it," I told him, noticing immediately that he was just as insecure about me helping him out as I was. "I can get you out one way or another, but I know you won't choose the other way, so you may as well just take my hand and let me pull you out the easy way."

He seemed to try and edge away from me in the mud, it didn't do much, but it was pretty easy to see that he either didn't want my help, or was afraid of something. "How do I know you're not going to try to hurt us again? What're we supposed to do? What's going to happen then—"

"JP," I was pleading with one of the only people in the world I could not believe I was trying to help. "Please, I'm trying to help you; you have to believe that one of the last things I want to do is hurt any of you. I didn't do that on purpose; the real me just wouldn't do that kind of thing—"

He cut me off with a question I was by no means prepared for. "Then who is the real you? All we've seen is the person who _does_ do that, who hides inside herself until everything just overflows in all the wrong ways. Who are you supposed to be?" His voice was by no means angry with me anymore; he must've calmed down about Zoe's spirit since this morning. Now it was full of a curious concern, but there was still the stable hint of his restraining to shout at me.

I squeezed my eyes shut, and turned my head away from his stare, my bottom lip trembling now. I usually didn't let this kind of emotion show to just anyone, but it had all built up after so long; no one had asked me that question for so long. My lip kept trembling with my despair of my own misunderstood meaning for life as I looked back and told him, refraining myself from screaming, "I don't know! Just take my _chikushou_ hand!"

I knew he'd seen my eyes begin to dampen with tears, but he didn't say anything about it; his expression was all I needed to know that he'd seen them. He simply obeyed and clasped my arm with both of his hands solemnly, allowing me to pull him gradually out of the thick muck, and set him on his feet back on the more solid dirt.

As soon as he was safely back on the ground, he looked back up at me and tried to smile. I knew showing happiness to someone that you really didn't like but had to be around you daily wasn't something that was easy to do. With two of that kind of people around, I knew what it was like. "Thanks Toshiku." He said, with what I thought was a forced smile, but his eyes told me differently.

I stared down at him, confusion in my eyes as I finally let myself de-spirit-evolve—I doubted that I'd need to use it anymore today. Hopefully. Gulping back my stupid emotions again, I shook my head, my black, now normal hair sweeping in front of my watering eyes. As I tried to speak, my voice crackled with the sentiment I couldn't hide. "It doesn't matter."

"Toshiku! JP! C'mon!" Tommy and Zoe shouted to both of us as they took off in what seemed to me like whatever direction seemed like the best idea. _Yeah! Let's go to that one, it has a cliff! Let's go! You jump first!_ Zoe was the one to give an explanation, "I saw Takuya and Gigasmon heading this way; Takuya might need help!"

I waited until JP had started after both of them before turning around to retrieve Koji and Weregarumon, and start walking behind them. I was quite surprised that no one had asked where either of them was when I came back. I knew that if I hadn't seen Koji, I would've held a gun to the person's head until they told me where the hell he was.

"With any luck, Gigasmon is the one who's going to need all the assistance. Takuya's beast spirit is beyond strong. At least compared to certain people, for example Zoe. Compare him to the Three and you'd think he's a lady bug. Or that furry butterfly." I mumbled under my breath, aware that no one besides me had heard. Koji was still unconscious, now resting on my back with Weregarumon having probably woken up and tucked himself under his bandana.

I caught back up to the others when I reached a dusty clearing, with a pretty easily spotted hole in the middle of it. There was one single pillar-platform of rock were a black shroud that I recognized as Gigasmon standing alone in the very center of the crater. There were four separate, differently colored figurines floating in the air before the blank Digimon, two of which I knew to be Gigasmon's human and beast spirits, and the other two Tommy's and Zoe's frilly, weakness-surrounded spirits.

Takuya had just taken off on his heavy-looking wings, heading straight for Gigasmon; there was no way that Vigomon would come back and ruin all this again, he wouldn't come and harm Takuya. He wouldn't….right? No, it was only me he was after…but that had been what I thought about Obstimon, and he'd taken Koji. No, that had just been to get to me, it had to have been. _The others are safe…I think…_

Landing on the ground before Gigasmon, Takuya's D-Tector began to glow as he received the other legendary warrior's beast spirit. Which was clarified for all people and Digimon by Bokomon—who I'd forgotten was even there—when he stated, "Gigasmon's spirit!" _Yeah, listen book-guy, what else could that have been? Do you and your green book of triangles and squiggly lines think that a D-Tector would suck up crap? I didn't think so!_

Takuya returned to Gigasmon saying, "And now for Tommy's," Taking the glowing teddy bear object in both hands, he soared up a little higher in the air before the figuring began to glow again, and he tossed it in Tommy's general direction with a grunt. "Here ya go buddy! Got a little present for ya!"

As the sparkling little beam of brightness rippled through the air, it was sucked up into Tommy's D-Tector like a vacuum would swallow a dust bunny. "Hey, my spirit!" _Oh Kamisama, not you too! I thought you were smarter than Bokomon to know when something a spirit, and to know when it's a pile of kuso! It was a long-shot I know, and I gotta admit, I can see you saying something like, 'Cool, I turned into Crapmon!' but you could at least _try_ to make me seem like less of a random moron, couldn't ya?!_

"Yeah!" Tommy pumped the arm that was holding his silver and green D-Tector into the air as he exclaimed in that little kid voice again, his face beaming with the happiness of his returned white teddy bear, "This is better than birthdays and Christmas combined!"

Takuya began to head back to the black cloud that had been Gigasmon as he said to mainly himself, sounding quite proud of himself for having finally 'defeated' Gigasmon, "And now to get Zoe's spirit." But I felt a disturbance in the celebration; it was like a flow of power rushing back to the beholder. After a few seconds, I knew what I had been sensing.

Gigasmon's shadow began to fade away into shorter, wider color as Grumblemon appeared in his place. The look on his face gave the impression the he knew exactly what had happened, but the way that his body was positioned made me wonder if he even knew where the hell he was. Honestly I didn't care, if he didn't, he would be that much easier to defeat, but heck, it would've been fun to screw with his mind and tell him he was in the Bahamas or something before deleting him.

Takuya let out a dragon-ly fierce roar as he propelled through the air towards Grumblemon, the gnome now having the disadvantage. Suddenly Grumblemon leaned to the ground and dug quickly, escaping Takuya, who would've made it to him and gotten Zoe's spirit back in a matter of missed seconds. "Me leave while behind!" He stated to himself as he disappeared from all of our sights.

Zoe gasped with sorrow and obvious self-pity at the vanishing act that Grumblemon conjured on himself. "No…" She whined in her high-pitched, I'm-so-much-better-than-everyone-but-I-don't-have-my-lavendery-spirit-to-protect-me-anymore tone that was always detectably loud in her voice—one of the only sounds in the Digital World that could drive me frickin' insane. "He still has my spirit…"

I grunted as I heaved Koji up a bit higher on my back to help keep him at least semi-comfortable as I grumbled to Zoe, even though there was a slight understanding of her sorrow in my tone, "Well, there's no use in complaining about it Lavendy, we've got to keep heading on to the Forest Terminal; you know we're almost there. We're sure to meet up with Grumblemon again, and we can get your puny little fairy spirit back then. For now, we've got to just keep going."

* * *

Staring out at the three moons, their colors shining brilliantly against the serenely dark sky—one a beautiful blue (less beautiful than Koji's eyes of course), the largest a grand goldish-yellow shade, and the final a marvelous rusty color—I felt the power of my very element surging through my veins, replenishing all the power and strength that had been taken from me by Vigomon a few days before, and all that I'd used up fighting Obstimon. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world to be able to gaze out at the scenery below, above, and in front of us.

The light from the moons shone off the green leaves of the trees below them and us, giving everything a ghostly, but yet somehow perfect and peaceful glow to them and everything that lay underneath the balls of hued light that the moons were. The only reason we were able to see this wondrous view was because Takuya thought that the best thing to do was to go over the big plateau-mountain-thing, not around it. For once, he'd made a good decision.

I frowned when I allowed my gaze to drop back down to the motionless ball of fur and heat that was Weregarumon, still either unconscious or now fast asleep in my arms, his head laying gently in the crook of my arm. Koji had woken up and had been able to walk without too much trouble a little while before we reached the plateau, giving me the opportunity to explain what had happened while he was unconscious. Although, I did leave out bits and pieces of everything, mainly how I'd felt when everything had occurred. That was something I didn't want him to ever know.

"Isn't it pretty?" Tommy asked all of us, his awe for all that lay before us in the forests and skyline showing through clear as the daylight that wasn't around us at all. Everyone but Zoe seemed to agree with him mentally, though not really stating it like he did. I could hear all of their thoughts like little whispers if I wanted, but Zoe's weren't centered on the view, only on the fact that she didn't have her spirit like all of us did.

"Yeah, I guess…" I looked at her out of the corner of my eye; I could see that it was all she could do not to start crying about the loss of her spirit some number of days ago. I didn't really care that she'd lost her spirit; I knew it meant more work, but that wasn't different from any other day.

It was just the knowledge that I'd had the chance to keep her from feeling this way. Not that it really mattered to me if she felt depressed or not, I just knew how it felt to lose something important…It was the absolute worst feeling that you could have lie beneath your skin.


	15. Chapter 13: Taken

**This sure took a while to type out. Got 30 pages for the thing on Microsoft Word. But I'm pretty proud of the beginning. None too sure about the end though; since it was getting long, I cut like 8 minutes out of the chapter. I hope it's good anyway. I made sure to have it explain a bit more in here.**

* * *

Chapter 13: Taken

"Hey!" JP exclaimed crossly as I stepped on his heels again. That was the third time I'd run into him in the past five and half minutes, not that I'd been counting or anything. A good sense of time was a nice thing to have when no one had a wristwatch. "Watch where you're walking already will ya?!"

"Sorry," I replied inaudibly and gloomily, stopping for the three billionth time to let him get farther ahead of me. The further away from me he was, the less likely it was for me to catch up, and mess up the little walking formation again. "I'm just a little…preoccupied."

"Weregarumon still isn't awake yet?" Koji turned and asked, his once alertly focused eyes revealing his unconditional worry and fright for his—er, our—er…for Weregarumon. I could see them shining in the darkness, the light from the moons making them glow with his heartbreaking emotions. The tone of his voice was hard and slightly uncaring-sounding, but I knew better than to think that was how he really felt about how Garu was doing.

I shook my head as I looked away from Koji's sad eyes and back down at the even more depressing sight of the limp Weregarumon, laying motionless in my arms. I could barely feel his chest push up against my grip as he took in each breath. By the way he would take forever to suck in each gulp of air; I knew that the poison Taurumon had infected into him was still taking its dear sweet time spreading throughout this guiltless, once gleefully playful Digimon.

As Koji stopped, and waited for me to come up and walk beside him, Zoe also turned and said, her voice dripping with tremors of worry for Weregarumon. I could feel the pressure in the air change with each step; all of us were weary of Weregarumon's hesitated awakening. "Toshiku, I'm starting to get scared. What happened to Weregarumon that he won't wake up?"

"Yeah," Tommy agreed with a nod of his giant hat-shaded head, aiding Zoe in forcing a heavy, awkward silence in the atmosphere if I didn't answer. He didn't look back at me and Weregarumon, he simply continued forward as he contributed to the conversation at hand. "Usually he'd be up now and running around begging any one of us to play with him until we—well, me at least—give in."

I slowly ceased moving forward, and stood in one place, feeling my throat tighten as tears welled up in my eyes. I tried to bite my lip to stop it from quivering, but the others deserved to know what had happened. I hadn't even told Koji the whole story of what happened.

"I-It's my fault…" I whispered, a soft wind whisking my voice away on the currents to the awaiting ears of the group ahead and to the side of me. I closed my eyes to hide my tears, and turned my face away from them. I fought back sobs of guilt as I tried to explain in any way that I could, but there really wasn't any other way besides blaming myself for everything. There never had been an easier way for anything but to bury myself in the blame; make myself believe that everything bad in the world was my fault, a lot of it was anyway.

"If I'd been faster, if I was stronger, if I'd known that Weregarumon had woken up and freed himself…he'd still be okay…" I coughed out a sob and crumbled to my knees. Holding Weregarumon tightly to my chest, my tears began to sprinkle like a drizzle from my eyes. "But I wasn't anything I needed to be, and I didn't know anything that I should've known.

"Taurumon attacked him—a poor, defenseless little Digimon, who never meant any harm to anyone in his life—that _kusotare_ Taurumon tried to pelt him with arrows. Even my beast spirit wasn't quick enough to take on all of the arrows that came flying through the air at him; I was hit by all, but the one that made Garu like he is right now.

"There was poison in each and every single one of those arrows, and I knew that Weregarumon couldn't survive if any of those hit him. I was lucky, I was bigger, and a bit stronger than Weregarumon; I could take on the attack and still be okay if I got the arrows out and kept moving. But not him, not Weregarumon. He was too small, and didn't have a developed immune system to be able to fight off all of the poison…"

I lowered my head and buried my face in Garu's increasingly cold fur as I mumbled into his diminishing warmth, my voice coming through weak and with noticeable sobs that I'd attempted to hide, "I don't think he's going to be okay…But I just don't know…."

"It's…not you're fault Mama…" Raising my head at the sound of a fading voice, I watched with a sudden revived hope as Weregarumon's eyes fluttered open. His bright yellow eyes shifted in my direction; as he gazed at me gloomily, little tears in his eyes, I realized something that killed my hope again: Garu wasn't going to get better…he was dying. And it was my fault, no matter what anyone said.

Like he was reading my mind, Weregarumon stated again, "It's…It's not your fault Mama, you didn't know, and it's okay not to know some things some times. I don't know a lot of things, but that doesn't mean I feel bad about not knowing. It's like Algebra, if you don't know, either ask for help or look over the lesson again; don't try to keep going on your own, thinking that the longer your work and stare at it, the easier it will become to understand. Nothing's like that Mama, I hope you understand.

"And I know you miss your mom and dad, and your little sibling too, but missing someone doesn't mean you're weak, it just means that you have a heart like everyone else. Feeling hurt and loving aren't weaknesses either, on the contrary, they're powers, and they mean that you're strong enough to know when you're hurt inside or outside, but you show love to the ones around you anyway. Having and showing both only mean that you're like everyone else, even though you may have more or less of one inside your heart.

"And I know you and Papa love me, I've always known that. But I also know you're afraid right now, that you don't know what's going on, or what's going to happen in the future. You don't know a lot of things, but just because you don't know about something, that doesn't mean that you will always be afraid of it. There are a lot of things that scare you, but none of them should.

"You think that you're filled with an evil, with darkness, but it's not there to hinder you; all it wants to do is show you the way back from the wrong side to the side of darkness that you belong on. You'll find in time that when you're filled with misery, the Darkness with be the best place to go to find some comfort. But just be careful; you never know what time you're going to finally learn that it's there for you. In a short time, you might learn that you're about to create for yourself the worst enemy of them all…"

When Weregarumon fell silent, I swallowed the lump in my throat and whispered, trying to keep my voice soft with a loving affection, but it grew coarse nevertheless, "I do love you, but…but I'm not afraid. I can't be, I'm not meant to be; I'm never supposed to be afraid. If I'm scared, then that means that I'm losing to myself…and I can't do that.

"But what do you mean by saying that the darkness is supposed to be my friend? How am I supposed to find a solace in something that turns me into a monster even more every time I fall into it? How will I make an enemy for myself, when I don't even know how to defeat my foes in the first place? How can I stop myself from making that equal strength?"

Weregarumon hesitantly shook his head; I knew it hurt him to move, and that I shouldn't be urging him to continue talking, but I had to know. "You won't be as tough as this one Mama; you're not big enough to take on this shadow on your own. Not with the spirits that you have right now. I don't know much about this kind of thing, but I know that…'the others' will be all the help you'll need. Besides knowing and learning to trust yourself."

"What do you mean by 'the others'? Do you mean the legendary warriors—"

"The verres…I mean them," _Great, even he knows what they are, but I still don't even know what one really does. Maybe he can tell me now. _"He'll tell you all you need to know about them. He can help you."

_…Who's _He_ supposed to be?_ "Who can help? Who's able to tell me what I want to know? Who are you talking about Garu?" I asked him, words flying from my mouth like rapid gunfire, and my voice growing a bit louder with the anticipation of knowing who had been sending us messages, and who had led me out into the forest to meet Obstimon's beast spirit.

Everyone but us now had slightly confused looks on their faces now, they'd barely heard anything of the verres or that there was something out there that could help. They'd only heard the bad things about how I was inside. But I could see how all that would confuse them.

Weregarumon shook his head again, stunning me that he wasn't going to be answering my other questions. Instead he told me quietly, bringing more tears to my eyes as the time I was dreading, but that he was also fully aware of crept steadily closer with each passing second, "Mama, if you're ever scared, and alone…or just want to know that someone else is going to be watching out for you…I want you to remember…

" Step one: You say, 'We need to talk.' He walks, you say, 'Sit down, it's just a talk. He smiles politely back at you. You stare politely right on through. Some sort of window to your right. As he goes left, and you stay right between the lines of fear and blame. You begin to wonder why you came.

" Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend, somewhere along in the bitterness. And, I would have stayed up with you all night, had I known how to save a life…

" Let him know that you know best, 'cause after all, you do know best. Try to slip past his defense without granting innocence. Lay down a list of what is wrong; the things you've told him all along. And pray to God he hears you…and pray to God he hears you…

" Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend, somewhere along in the bitterness. And, I would have stayed up with you all night, had I known how to save a life…

" As he begins to raise his voice, you lower yours and grant him one last choice. Drive until you lose the road, or break with the ones you've followed. He will do one of two things: He will admit to everything, or he'll say he's just not the same. And you'll begin to wonder why you came.

" Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend, somewhere along in the bitterness. And, I would have stayed up with you all night, had I known how to save a life. Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend, somewhere along in the bitterness. And, I would have stayed up with you all night, had I known how to save a life…how to save a life…how to save a life…

" Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend, somewhere along in the bitterness. And, I would have stayed up with you all night, had I known how to save a life…

" Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend, somewhere along in the bitterness. And, I would have stayed up with you all night, had I known how to save a life…how to save a life… "

Weregarumon's soft, frail voice came through in a strong, fearless tone. I couldn't believe it: Weregarumon wasn't afraid to die; it didn't scare him one bit. "Mama, Papa, Ta-kun, Colorful Onion, The Chocolate Man, and Short Guy With Hat That's Big Enough For Me To Go Down Mount Everest in…I love all of you; promise me that you won't miss me, that you won't cry for me. Know that this is true: You are all stuck together, and don't let anybody ever tell you any different…"

I glanced up for a minute when I heard another crying sound coming from someone that for once wasn't me. Zoe and Tommy both had tears streaming out of their eyes—they must have been the ones I'd heard. Or it might've been JP, because he was going on and on and weeping about how Weregarumon had given him the name of 'The Chocolate Man'.

Takuya—who had actually been surprisingly quiet throughout everything—had kneeled down next to me on my left, and Koji was also on the ground but my right. I looked at both of them: Tears were starting to overflow from Takuya's eyes, leaving little trails that sparkled like glitter in the dim light. I felt a tickling sensation inside at that sight; I'd never seen Takuya cry—well, by his own will; he'd cried on that floating toy village thing—it was actually quite sad.

But Koji didn't just send a little bit of feeling down my spine. His eyes were drowned in tears, but he hadn't let any fall from his eyes yet. Of course they had to pour out of his eyes like two rivers just when I glanced at his disheartened face. Sniffling as more tears fell from my own eyes, I turned back to Weregarumon.

I let my lip tremble as I wept sullenly as I saw that Weregarumon's eyes had closed again, and his head had fallen back to rest in the crook of my arm. I couldn't feel the gentle press of his chest pulling needed air into his lungs anymore. Suddenly I knew why. "…H-He's not breathing…" I struggled to get the words out, but they burned with misery as I heard my own voice speak them aloud.

As soon as I realized that the numbing death had reached his lungs and once beating heart, he suddenly disappeared from my arms in a flash of blue data that had always been the thing that helped me and everyone else to spirit evolve, but had now come and taken away one of the things that I'd entrusted my love to. With another burst of bright white light, a ball of pureness rose from my arms and vanished into the sky.

"That was Weregarumon's essence!" Bokomon exclaimed—I kept forgetting that he and Neemon had been standing there through all of this; they really had to speak up and make themselves known more. "We'll all be able to see the little creature again someday!"

That made it sound like all the pain that Garu had gone through had been for nothing, all that he'd said—though I barely understood any of it—meant absolutely nothing because he'd come back to us eventually. But how was Bokomon really able to know that? He'd never been deleted before—though it wouldn't have surprised me if the reason that Neemon was with him in the first place was that he'd gotten stuck as his friend because he'd accidentally deleted him or been the cause of his deletion in the first place.

I fell from my knees into the dirt beneath me; pounding the ground with a fist, I wondered aloud, "Why can't I understand what he told me? Why can't I understand what it means not to be…not to be…" My voice cut off into growls and my misunderstanding mind and little hysterics of frenzy as I jumped back up to my feet, and got away from the others as fast as my feet could carry me.

Seeing a rock just ahead of me, I stopped short of running into it, and sent a wild, hard kick into it in an attempt to murder the pain inside. A shock rippled through my toes and up my leg, traveling the on my nerves to my brain, which—like always—told me that I was hurting. I let out a cry and fell from my feet back onto the ground.

I felt my pupils dilating on their own again—just like they had when I'd fought with JP, my beast spirit against his puny little bug of a human spirit. I rolled back up onto my knees, coming back at the rock; I would've rathered taken all my misery on the rock than them again. Balling my fists, I thrusted my arm back, and let my fists pelt the rock with punches that hurt me more that I could ever hurt the rock.

My knuckles bled and the pain I was causing myself begged me to stop, but I didn't, I couldn't. I still didn't comprehend what I wanted to. I spoke between blows, boiling tears of the extreme agony inside me and in my hands and leg filling my darkening eyes, "Why don't I understand what he meant by what he said to me, what help he tried so hard to give me?"

My hits slowed, and then finally stopped as I continued to think aloud. The tears felt like heated water on my face as they dribbled down my face like little steaming rain droplets. "What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to be if…if I don't remember how it feels to live without a fear of something? Without being afraid of death…How will I keep the others safe if I barely even know how to protect me from something inside me…that's apparently not trying to be an opponent…?"

Suddenly a sound that echoed through me and everything around me tore through the air like there was nothing there. The noise reminded me of chains breaking, or at least rattling on a prisoner, on someone meant to be kept locked away from all other forms of life. It was as if something had found the last key needed to unlock their chains of imprisonment, or had found the way to complete themselves.

I shivered, my skin and body frozen with my fear as I turned around, away from the rock and stared at the sky behind me. It all began to darken in one small area, swirling in circles as if a tornado was forming, or the Digital World had created for itself a whirlpool of black clouds in the air. But that was no formation of clouds; I'd made the mistake of letting the black dark take control of my anger again.

I'd created that demon Weregarumon had warned me of. And all because I hadn't controlled myself, and gone to the others, to wait and just let their warmhearted presence soothe my angry, broken, and troubled heart. I wasn't the only one of them who'd taken Weregarumon's death very hard.

_"I'm coming for you darling, I'm coming to take all of them away from you. I'll take everything from you until all you have is the miserable little memories you've troubled yourself with. Your lost little soul is lingering very close to your downfall; I can taste it in your tears. I am coming now…Run if you want…the chase is always the best part…Isn't it? Toshiku, when I'm done with you, you'll never be near the Light or the Darkness ever again." _An agonizingly sharp-edged voice cut through the haven of my mind, ripping away my cells until it was nestled deep within my skull like a parasite. The feminine voice was somehow familiar, but had enough deep evil to it that I would never be able to match the familiarity of it to a person.

I forced myself to speak to it; I didn't care what it was, the important thing was that I knew who it was. It was that I knew how to explain what it was to the others if ever there was a time that they would need to know what that thing was. _"…Wh-Who are you? What is your name?"_

_"…Call me by any name, either way it's all the same. I will be the destruction of your pathetic little soul, your worthless life that may be the key to my completion…But I suppose if they get to you before we meet face to face…you have the right to know…I am Rowloamon…" _

All that really stuck besides the words themselves was the fact that when she pronounced an 'r', it came out like any demon or mysterious were-dog would growl. She reminded me of how Wereraiomon pronounced a few of the letters of the alphabet, but she didn't have the tenderness that could be found in Wereraiomon's vocal cords.

"Toshiku," I felt a hand on my shoulder; the tender company of the only love I had left now. The one that demon had promised to take away from me one day; but that wouldn't happen to Koji again, never again would I let him be taken by an enemy and held as a ransom for my spirits and life. "Are you okay? I know it's not really the question you probably want to hear right now, but—"

"Weregarumon's gone…isn't he? He's not going to come back anymore, is he?" I asked the heart-wrenching questions not because I didn't know their answer, but because I wanted to be able to comfort Koji before he tried to console me. After all, he deserved to be first.

I turned to connect gazes with Koji; as soon as I did, part of me wished that I hadn't. I could still see the trails of dampness that his tears had left, and there were still some lingering in his usually vigilant and trap-aware eyes. Now they were sad as he kneeled behind me, heartbroken at the loss of someone that had clearly gotten to his heart inside. From the feelings I could sense that lay behind his eyes, this wasn't the first time he'd lost someone he loved.

"I'm sorry," I blurted out quickly, not wanting to have to remind him or myself that we'd both lost someone else that was and had been close to both of us. But as I got to my feet, about to turn and offer to help him back up onto his, curiosity got the best of me at what seemed like one of the worst possible times. "…Who did you lose…in your life—No! Don't answer, you don't have—"

"My mother. My dad told me about when she died; he pulled me out of class—kindergarten—just to tell me." Koji cut off my try at apologizing for opening up some of his old wounds. I didn't have to have him tell me that it had been the most painful thing he'd heard in his life, I knew what it was like to have someone tell you a member of your family had moved on, and would not be coming home to you. I'd gotten that message three times in one visit, all in one rainy day.

I could hear Koji's voice becoming choked and forced to remain steady as he strived to continue, but his tone had already started to shake, and his bottom lip quiver; I wished I'd never brought it up in the first place. But I didn't stop him from speaking. "He said he didn't know how to tell me at first…but then he just came out and said it, 'Your mother's not going to be coming home tonight Koji, or any other night.'

"For a while I didn't get what he meant—but I was four, going to be five in a couple of weeks. What kid _would've_ understood something like that? In the beginning, I thought he meant that Mom was just going on a business trip or something; that she was going away for a while, but was leaving me and Dad at home while she went. But…then Dad explained what he really meant…what had really happened…"

More tears swept Koji's sorrow-distorted face as I turned back to face him. I balled my sore, blood-stained fists, disappointed and angry with myself for being the reason Koji was crying again—the one thing in the world that I loved…I'd been the reason for his fallen tears twice in one night.

I wrapped my arms tightly around him, and he embraced me, his firm grip letting me know that he appreciated all this, and didn't want me to let him go. His breathing came through in short rasps through his sobs, his face buried in my shirt. I didn't know what to say now. So…I didn't speak.

I whispered into the aloneness that was being shared by Koji and I, my voice harmonizing with the wind as it blew Koji's tears from his cheeks like rain drops are escorted to the ground by a breeze in a light downpour. " Don't talk, don't say a thing. 'Cause your eyes, they tell me more than your words. Don't go, don't leave me now. 'Cause they say the best way out is through.

" And I am short on words knowing what's occurred. And she begins to leave because of me. Her bag is now much heavier; I wish that I could carry her. But this is our ungodly hour…

" And I know you're leaving now, 'cause I held onto my way tightly. Stay still, until you know…Tomorrow find the best way out is through.

" And I am short on words knowing what's occurred. And she begins to leave because of me. Her bag is now much heavier; I wish that I could carry her. But this is our ungodly hour, ungodly hour, ungodly hour. And I am short on words knowing what's occurred. And she begins to leave because of me. Her bag is now much heavier; I wish that I could carry her. But this is our ungodly hour, ungodly hour, ungodly hour.

" Her bag is now much heavier…I wish that I could carry her…But this is our ungodly hour~… "

Koji was the first to break the bond of our embrace, though my arms were still wrapped around him; his gaze was softer now, his tears having been dried on my shoulder and neck. Inside them there was that perfection again, the one thing that made Koji so different from every other blue-eyed beauty. When it came to him, if he was gone for a moment, it felt more like he was gone for good.

I drew Koji closer and tenderly placed a soft kiss on his forehead, just above his nose. Koji seemed to pull me towards him, his face burning with a warm blush as I tried to back away, flushing with uneasiness about having done that _again_—this time with a bit of thought though, I was proud of myself for that. But it was Koji controlling what I did now.

He pulled me down from being on just one knee to both, dragging me closer and closer to his stunning eyes and velvet-like lips. And in the blink of an eye, he'd pulled me into a kiss—this one started by the legendary warrior of Light, not the guardian of Moon. Sparks flew throughout my body, pumping my adrenaline and rushing my blood faster and faster until I thought I was going to disintegrate because of this new-found sensation's pleasure. But what didn't seem to astonish me at all was the way that his lips felt as if they were supposed to match and complete the shape of mine. _Just like our hands…_

I couldn't breathe anymore, and I guessed that Koji probably couldn't either, but he hadn't broken the connection. And I didn't want to. If I could've stayed this way forever, I would've done anything to make it so. But I knew that there was no way such a wonderful thing could come to be without some kind of a consequence.

Finally I forced myself to break the kiss and let both of us breathe again. Gasping for air, I let myself wonder why I'd been stupid enough to stop in the first place. Now, all I wanted to do was feel Koji's flawlessness again and again; there was no way in hell that one of those kisses would be enough to satisfy a person. With Koji…well, there was no way you could ever get enough of him.

I got to my feet, taking my time so that my legs wouldn't crumble weakly underneath me; all my willpower seemed to be gone after that—I really wasn't surprised. Lowering a hand, I helped Koji to his feet as the others came up to us. Zoe was the first to speak, and of course she chose to speak to me, "Toshiku, why did you run off like that? You could've tripped and hurt yourself on that rock you kicked."

_…How incredibly stupid do you think I am? That's something JP would do for crying out frickin' loud! _"Well, I didn't," I replied with an insulted scowl, my voice completely different from how I'd spoken with Koji. And for very good reason too; Zoe didn't deserve to be spoken to in the sweet tone Koji'd heard. In fact, he'd been the only one here who'd ever heard it.

I looked up into the sky again, my mind now far from Zoe, JP, and everyone. I focused my gaze on where the black, menacing clouds had been; I had to know if they were still there, if they were still searing like wildfire through the night sky towards us. Another shiver coursed through me again; it was still there, getting closer with what seemed like each minute.

I pulled out my D-Tector, and spirit-evolved rapidly, more so than usual, to Wereraiomon. I layed down on the ground, and glancing back at the others, grumbled with a bit of embarrassment for having to resort to this kind of indignity, "Get on. We've got to move faster if we want to get to the Forest Terminal by daybreak, and if you walk you'll all be too slow."

Koji was the first to listen and willingly pull himself up onto my back. That seemed to surprise everyone else a fair amount—Koji being who he was, this was pretty odd. But the fact that I'd mentioned getting to the Forest Terminal, something that Koji had been very serious about getting to, made it seem less strange.

Takuya and Tommy were the next to jump up; Takuya first, then he helped Tommy up. Tommy clung to Takuya's back, apparently afraid of falling off when I did start moving. But that wouldn't be until JP and Zoe got on. Though, I wouldn't mind leaving them there.

After a while of my penetrating green eyes staring at both of them, Zoe caved and, letting out a very girly, annoyed groan, she let Takuya offer her his hand and pull her up. And since he was like her little—scratch that, make that 'giant'—lapdog, JP climbed up onto me as well, taking his time lugging the dead-weight he called a body up my leg and finally seating himself on my back.

As soon as aware that everyone was ready to get moving, I got out of my crouching position and moved my long, spindly legs as I ran on my toes—slower than usual, first of all because I didn't want anyone falling off (mainly Koji, Takuya, and Tommy), and second of two I was a bit weighted down by all of them put together (that means you JP). This wasn't as fast as I would've liked to have been going, but this was going to have to be enough to escape that cloud billowing like a hurricane's winds behind me.

* * *

After I'd been running for about an hour, I could hear that the others had now fallen asleep. Each and every single one of them had a distinct breathing pattern that had been easy to memorize and place for each person. Now that I didn't have to worry about a conversation picking up out of nowhere, I began to think about what had gone on in the past few hours.

Question and non-understanding wise, I'd had one step forward before today, but then Weregarumon had told me things I'd been completely unaware of for the longest time, sending me two steps back…which I guess I could view as helpful, or a real pain in the _oshiri_. Right now it felt like a pain, but I knew what Takuya would probably say to that, 'No pain, no gain!'

I smiled with a slight grimness to myself; I'd been around them enough now to know how they'd react and answer to something. That had to be a good thing. It meant I was starting to open up to them now…or were they just beginning to open up to me? Letting out a sigh, I picked up the pace again; I wouldn't know until I'd been with them longer.

"Toshiku?" I was stunned to hear JP call for me quietly. It wasn't a call for me to answer in one of his dreams, his voice sounded differently when he did that (I'd been awake once when he cried out Zoe's name in his sleep. It was all I could do not to burst out laughing and wake everyone up.). "I can't sleep…"

I wondered to myself with a confused scowl why he was telling me of all people this bit of useless information. _Just like Bokomon, telling me all kinds of crap I don't need to know. You should be his apprentice. 'JP, the Keeper of the Book'. It's got a crappy ring to it…Perfect! _"Is it because I'm running? If you really want to sleep…and stop bugging me—" I mumbled that last bit under my breath, not meaning for him to hear it if he did. "—then I can just walk. We'll get to the Forest Terminal just the same."

He sighed, with what I knew to be a small hint of sadness. _Dear Kamisama, if he starts sobbing…_ "No, that's not it. It's just…I've been thinking—" _Oh my! You can do that?! Here, have a gold star and get the hell outta here! _"—about my life back home in the real world and everything…and I've just been wondering something..."

I slowed to an unhurried, smooth jog as I wondered what in the world JP could possibly be trying to ask me. _Please don't have him tell me he likes me. I've already got Koji and Takuya. Don't add _him_._ But thankfully, that wasn't it.

JP's voice sounded completely serious throughout his long question. Enough so that I promised myself to answer truthfully, no matter what it turned out being. Honestly, not one of my brighter ideas, but one that I would go with nevertheless. "I've been meaning to ask a couple of you guys this…so, here I go: If you'd gone to my school back in the real world, would you have made the decision—on your own, so it doesn't count if someone dared you—to be my friend and hang around with me and everything?"

I stopped short of my next step, taken completely off guard by this question. I twisted my head around and stared at him; his face was completely certain, this wasn't a question that I could just let go and keep going without answering. And besides, I'd promised myself that I would answer anyway.

I rushed into moving quickly again as I nodded my head, an awkward silence threatening to encase me and JP in the same box; but I didn't want that, he might fart and I might suffocate. "Yeah, I would've; I can see that—even though I act the exact opposite—there are a lot of things about you that I would hang around with you for. And not because of your 'magic' tricks, or because you apparently have an infinite amount of chocolate in your pockets.

"You're a nice guy, despite what you and I have experienced with each other, but most of that I've found was actually my fault. Some of it though, you have to admit that you've caused. But the past is known as the past for a reason, like everything. So, to answer your question in the most straightforward way I can, I'll just say this: If you didn't have many truly good friends at whatever school you went to, there are a lot of _bonkura_ people at that place."

Even though I didn't look back again, I could tell that JP was smiling with a genuine happiness that I'd never known I could cause someone who I barely got along with at all. "Thanks Toshiku, that means a lot." He told me before he got quiet again, and finally left me be, going into his dream world—a land that no one in their right mind would want to know about but JP and his little minion Pogumon.

As soon as I could tell by the lack of sound he was making, I felt a sharp zap of some kind of hot electricity or something whack me about where I thought JP was on my back. But for a minute I wasn't sure what it was, so I ran, racing ahead rapidly, thinking I could outrun whatever had hit me.

Then I realized what I'd just done: I'd just gotten myself the verre of Thunder. _Shimatta, I've gotta stop that. At least until I figure out why the hell I'm receiving them in the first place. _

* * *

"I can't believe it," Takuya stated exhaustedly, even though I'd been the one running all night with them on my back. Apparently sitting on a Digimon's back sleeping was a lot of hard work for little Takuya over there. "We're actually here!"

Looking up from my feet—normal shoe-covered feet now, I'd forced everyone off of me and de-spirit-evolved a few minutes from the sign that said 'Forest Terminal' on it in big black letters—I saw the sign that he'd probably just been talking about. _Did you think we'd never get here? Ha, I know it took a while, but I beg to differ. Read the frickin' sign and tell me where the hell we are!_

"My legs can believe it…" JP said, also sounding oddly tired just as Takuya had been. I rolled my frightened, blood-shot eyes; I'd been afraid of that dark cloud-Digimon-thing catching up with me all night. That fear along with my own fatigue had put me in a very sour mood. I'd been snapping at anything that moved for the past two and a half hours.

As we continued to move forward through a fog that had appeared almost as suddenly as that funnel of clouds that seemed to disappear at the first sight of the sun, Takuya must've seen the same sign I'd been aware of for the past three minutes. I wondered if he needed glasses or something; or at least needed to put those goggles to more use than he did. "There's the sign: Forest Terminal."

"Where the hell did you think we were going? Canada?" I grumbled with a sudden splinter of my tire-caused irritation. It was like I couldn't help but lash out at them now; I wasn't in the mood to be reasonable anymore. I know I'd calm down after a while, but for now that wasn't the case.

"I wish we were going to Canada," Tommy said with a happy smile—at least he wasn't tired like most of the others. He'd probably been the only one who got a fair amount of sleep. Everyone else kept sleeping on and off all throughout the night. Maybe that was why they all seemed so exhausted. "I've always wanted to go there and see all the bears." _Well that explains why your spirit is a polar bear now doesn't it? Have you met Smokey-mon? 'Only you can prevent Digital wildfires and Takuya-caused mayhem!'_

Ignoring the little conversation about Canada and their bears, Koji—the only one I'd really been able to keep my temper with so far today—asked with a bit of puzzlement to his attitude, "Umm, but shouldn't there be a Trailmon here?"

"Yeah, really." Zoe agreed in her girly-little, hee-hee-I'm-so-perfect-but-now-you-wanna-kill-me-eeekk! voice. I rolled my eyes at the sound of it; this was gonna be a _long_, _long_ day if she kept talking as much as she was. If it got foggier, I was gonna call her over to talk, bash her over the head with a rock, and leave her for some vulture Digimon.

Just about as soon as Koji mentioned the word 'Trailmon', a bright blue Trailmon—who I assumed was probably Angler, one Trailmon that was actually pretty simple to remember the name of—zoomed by. "_Shimatta_!" I exclaimed loudly as I took a big leap away from the tracks so I wouldn't get hit if he decided to come back and see what there was to actually make track-kill.

Zoe scowled back at me, probably for swearing as loud as I had. She clearly didn't think it was right for me to be swearing quote, 'Like a sailor' around young ears (a.k.a. Tommy). But for a minute, I wasn't sure if Zoe was even making any shape with her mouth to begin with, the fog was too thick, making it look like she had no mouth at all. _Yes! Zoe doesn't have a mouth anymore! Thank Kamisama and jump up and down!_

"What did I tell you?" Zoe asked me with that tone you use on a little kid when they just burned themselves either on a campfire—I could see that happening to Takuya. 'Takuya, I said not to play with that!'—or on a stove burner. I smirked at the mental image of Zoe bursting into flames. _I should ask Takuya to set her on fire. I'd bet he'd do that if I persuaded him enough._

Quickly ridding my face of the smirk and replacing it with the blank face I'd had before, I glanced back up at Zoe with unrevealing eyes. I'd decided that if she was gonna start pissing me off for the whole _chikushou_ day, I was going to piss her off too. I sighed before answering just like that little kid would, "I quote, 'You're too tall; you make me feel like a frickin' midget'. Was I close?"

"Yes—I mean no! I said not to swear so much in front of Tommy—"

I growled with a cold scoff as I cut her off and replied with another couple of cusses just to bug the crap out of her, "Ha! If you think I'm swearing a lot now, you just wait _subeta_—"

"You kiss your mother with that mouth Toshiku—" Zoe exclaimed with a grin—she knew that she'd pissed me off; she had no clue about my past at all. If she had, someone would've had to shout, 'Deadman walking!', and I would've snapped her neck like a twig in a matter of seconds. Or spirit-evolved to Wereraiomon and used her as a chew toy, maybe clawed her frickin' eyes out as Raveamon.

"I haven't seen my mother since I was in fourth grade Zoe—" I stopped myself quickly; Zoe didn't need to know about my pain or my past, and I wasn't going to let her either. So, I switched the conversation back to the problem with the Trailmon. "A Trailmon just went zooming by—since apparently none of you noticed it—I think if we set someone on fire, it might come back to see what happened—"

"Hey, who cares about the Trailmon?" JP shouted as he turned suddenly after seeing something. I hoped that he'd just seen some kind of red and yellow Digimon. _Red and black: Friend of Jack. Red and yellow: Kill a fellow._ "There's a restaurant here!" _Aww, better luck next time here on the 'Kill JP Show'!_ But then again, that restaurant's door looked like a mouth, maybe JP could go in first, and get swallowed up by it as a warning to the rest of us.

As we took JP's 'advice' and headed over to the restaurant building, a peacock-looking Digimon with a tiny golden crown on its head, a little red bow tie, and tail feathers that looked more like a bush had been sewn onto its _oshiri_ addressed us with a warm smile, "Greetings weary travelers!"

Tommy was the first to ask the question that JP was probably dieing to know the answer to. And honestly, I was looking forward to hearing the answer also—if I couldn't get any sleep today, I may as well replace those eight hours with a bit of food instead.

"Whatdya have to eat?" Tommy asked him, putting his hands on his hips and leaning to the side—moving into a position that made him look either like a drama queen, Zoe, or some kind of gay-wannabe. I hoped it was the first or second one, but the third would explain a lot…

The peacock Digimon seemed to ignore Tommy's queer stance as he replied with the same smile with which he'd greeted us with, "Ask instead what I don't have to eat!" He motioned for us to come up to him and set ourselves down on the stools before the counter. "Step right up friends, and don't worry about money—for you the first meal is free!"

JP seemed _way_ too happy to hear that. As soon as the peacock guy had just finished his statement, JP pretty much jumped up and down for joy and sprinted faster than I thought was possible for JP to move inside the building, and leaped up onto one of the stools. For a minute I thought it was going to break underneath him, but when it didn't, I followed everyone else inside.

"Now there's a man who knows what he likes," The happy-attitude-wearing, bush Digimon exclaimed after seeing JP run like a frickin' mad man into his restaurant. I wouldn't have been surprised if that's how the Digimon saw him as—he wouldn't be the only one to have thought that. "Or doesn't care what he eats…"

"I couldn't agree more with that last part." I told him with a grin as I sat down on a stool between Takuya and Koji at the serving counter as the chef Digimon began looking around and gathering up the ingredients for whatever food he planned on making for all of us.

He smiled with that warm sheen again, focusing the glow at me before throwing a couple of eggs up into the air and prodding at them with his beak—I could only assume that was his way of cracking them without thumbs—and saying, "Yoke Surprise comin' up!"

The eggshells seemed to disperse from the air as the raw eggs fell from the air and landed in the bowl of steaming noodles already having been placed before us—they were fresh and hot enough to cook the egg on contact. I smiled and my mouth began to water as the delicious fumes made their way up to my nostrils. The others seemed just as happy to have received the food.

"Hail to the chef!" I joined them in the thanking of the Digimon before all of us before picked up my chopsticks and diving into the delightful food on the counter in front of me. I would've given a proper thanks to him to show that I had a least an ounce of manners, but that didn't happen.

As soon as I'd gotten one bite of the noodles and egg into my mouth, I barely took the time to breathe anymore I wanted to get the succulence into my mouth so badly. The rhythm was fairly simple: Scoop, get in mouth, slurp, chew twice, swallow and hope I didn't choke.

I looked around and wondered what the hell was wrong with everybody's taste buds as disgusted groans, scoffs, and I-think-I-might-chunder looks came from everyone (I almost choked with laughed at the faces that Takuya and Koji had made—I'd always loved Koji's left eyebrow. I liked to call it his emotional eyebrow; right now it was twitching.).

Bokomon was the only one who made a halfway decent rejection of the food that apparently I was the only one who liked. Koji was sitting there with his arms crossed before his chest, watching me with a look of disgusted fascination as I continued to eat. "We must respectfully decline your kind offering of food." Bokomon's voice came through clearly and apologetically, though his face was everything but it.

"I can't feel my tongue anymore…" Neemon said with a sad tone; knowing him, tasting things with his tongue—for example the book of useless words and geometric solids—was the only thing he could do besides talk to one of us that kept him from boredom. And most times those conversations went so strange they couldn't continue without some psychiatrist there to figure out what the hell everyone was saying in the first place.

I stared down into the empty bowl before me, wondering what JP would do if I were to go over there and steal the food he didn't want anyhow. He'd probably pull a gun out of scenic nowhere and try to shoot me with it, even though I would only be relieving him of something that he could barely even stand the smell of.

But I didn't have to worry about getting shot: Noticing that I was still hungry, Koji pushed his bowl of noodles and egg over to me. He took his hand away quickly, like too long of an exposure to the food would kill him or something. "If your _baka_-mind seriously wants more of this _kuso_, take it."

I grinned and gladly accepted Koji's barely touched food with a happy 'heeheh' kind of sound. Koji continued to watch me eat with a look on his face that made me grow curious of what he was thinking. So, drowning out everything around us—and proceeding with the swallowing of the noodles—I let my mind open to Koji's so I could hear him.

His thoughts made me smile; he must've known by the look on my face or a feeling he was getting that I was listening to him, so he mixed his thoughts around so he was talking to me. _"You aren't going to be kissing me for a _long_ time. That stuff is like a seizure in a bowl; why couldn't you just eat a couple of Digital worms or something? At least they're better than that. That stuff's probably gonna give you a heart attack or some kind of disease."_

My face turned a warm pink-ish shade as I tossed a couple of mental messages back to him, my tone and eyes teasingly grinning at him. _"You've already attacked and captured my heart KojKoj, and some people call love a sort of disease, don't they Beautiful?"_

I snickered as Koji turned away from me with a scowl on his face and his cheeks a blazing red against the natural color of his smooth, flawless skin. It was fun to tease Koji like this; there was no other way to describe him when he was blushing other than _the_ most adorable thing on the frickin' planet.

"C'mon guys," Takuya said as he began to follow the others out of the restaurant. Koji got up and also followed after; I must've missed something, or zoned out of the conversation when I was speaking with Koji. But focusing on him could do that to you. "Let's get going; I'd rather get attacked by Grumblemon or hit by a Trailmon than stay here and get sick 'cause of the food."

_That's actually pretty rude Ta-kun. You'd better watch your tongue before some temperamental Digimon cuts it out._ I thought about telling Takuya what I was thinking, but knowing that it might not even sink in I just let it go and followed them. But first I turned back to the now very sad Digimon who'd given us the food, gave him a nod of my head and said, "_Gochisou sama deshita_."

He cleared the sadness from his eyes with a feathery finger before smiling at me as I turned from him and left. The food had been very good; I couldn't believe the others had thought the complete opposite. Weregarumon would've liked it too, I was sure of it.

Tears came to my eyes at the remembrance of him, but I wiped them away with the back of my hand; he told me to be strong for him and not to cry for him, to be tough for the group. If I wasn't, then that demon-Digimon might come and take them away from me like she swore she would. But that couldn't happen; I would change the future, forget the past, I didn't care. I just couldn't let her get to them. Whoever she was.

I caught up to the others again just as we reached another Trailmon station. I could see the bright lights of a departing Trailmon. I could tell that no one besides me had seen Angler again since Koji, upon seeing the platform said, "This place is empty too."

"Yeah," Zoe agreed in her annoying, girly voice. The glee of having food that had once had me in a good mood disappeared just as quickly as it had come, and my irritation replaced it. And all because of Zoe. Everything bad that happened here…she seemed to bring all of it herself. "And just a little bit creepy!"

I smirked before letting out a yell and jumping at her. She shrieked as I pushed her out of the way of a fake Digimon's 'deadly claws'. "Saved your life!" I told her with another devious grin before continuing to let her fume angrily at me.

Her face went red with her rage and embarrassment for me having so easily frightened her, and she shouted at me, "That's not funny Toshiku! The next time you say that something big and creepy's coming at us, I might not believe you and it might get me—"

"Yes and here's how you'd know I wasn't making it all up: If it got you, I'd shout a very loud and joyous 'Yay!' as it took off with you hooked to one of its claws," I smirked, my teeth gleaming in the thick fog as I saw her face turn even darker with her moment of lost of temper. "Knowing what I'd do if something were to try and kill you really ticks you off, doesn't it?"

"Knock it off already you guys, or else I'm gonna have to call a catfight," Takuya warned both of us as he turned around halfway to send a threatening glare at us—I noticed it was mainly the one who'd started it in the first place (a.k.a. me). "Now that I have your attention, keep your eyes peeled."

"For what?" JP asked, sounding actually pretty confused at Takuya's rhetorical statement. I rolled my eyes; JP didn't understand that we needed to be watching for an enemy to come popping up out of nowhere. "All we can see is fog."

"Exactly," I told him as I sped up and passed him in the little line we'd formed—I wasn't trying to just move up ahead of him for absolutely no reason; thinking that maybe he wouldn't want to be following me, I expected him to pick up his pace and get away from the back. I wasn't sure if that dark demon cloud was still hot on our trail or not, but the last thing I wanted was for one of the legendary warriors to me at the end of the line when she came. "That's our problem: We can't see an enemy if they're coming. Now get in front of me, I don't want any of you being at the back of this dysfunctional little pack."

Everyone grew quiet with their own thoughts as I pressured all of them on from behind; from back here, I could barely see who was leading everyone through the fog, but there wasn't that many cliffs they could walk off…hopefully. All I could see now was the giant tree-tower-thing we were heading into. I didn't get why we had to go up there, but nevertheless we did. And oddly enough, there were steps carved into the inner bark.

I could hear the others chatting and moaning nervously because of something JP had probably said through my thoughts, but it all just sounded like syllables to me, no worlds formed. I was too firmly wrapped within the thoughts so deep within my mind.

I was starting to frighten myself with the remembrance of what that devilishly evil voice in my head had told me just last night. She'd told me that once I'd met her, I'd never be able to go close to the light or the darkness again. But what was that supposed to mean anyway? All you needed to do to get light was turn on a flashlight or something, and to get to darkness, you just had to turn the flashlight off. There was almost nothing simpler.

And what had she meant by my 'lost little soul'? If she meant that the darkness was making me lose track of whatever it was that was important, she should talk to Weregarumon up there in the clouds. He'd tell her exactly what he told me; or would he? He many not have been a very bright Digimon, but I knew he had enough common sense to know the oldest rule of them all: Don't talk to strangers. Maybe that was a good thing to keep in mind in a world like this.

But that wasn't the part of it I should be paying more attention to. The word that really seemed to stick out to me was 'downfall'. Not only that, but my downfall. How was she supposed to know that I was ever going to lose in a fight to her, or to anyone? That I would even fight her at all? Was she just trying to faze me or something?

Having the lost the desire to keep pondering that little conversation over and over again, I looked up from my feet at the now fogless sight before me. My mouth hung open with wonder as I took in the view: A castle that seemed to be made entirely of finely polished crystal that reflected the light from the sun and made the rocks glow with all kinds of radiant colors. It may've been a true marvel, but that didn't mean that what existed within was also.

"I hate it when I'm right…" Zoe said with a silent awe as she stared up at the excellent craftsmanship before all of us. _Whatdya know? We have more than zero things in common. I hate it when you're right—or talk at all—too!_ But I was too busy wondering if this was the time when we would meet the person sending us all these messages through our D-Tectors now or not. Or if this was some kind of trap set by Grumblemon, the Three, or…that new one: Rowloamon.

Tommy seemed to be the only one out of us besides me who had completely surrendered to the gorgeousness and splendor of this place. I had an excuse: I was weak when it came to loveliness 'cause of Koji. And that was a pretty good excuse too. "This place is _beautiful_!"

_And speaking of Koji. _Koji was apparently the only one who was still aware of the demise that was following us around like a rat to cheese or the chocolate that was still in JP's pocket. "That doesn't mean it's not dangerous." I caught a glance of Koji looking over at me out of the corner of his eye, like he was thinking about asking me what I thought about the place. But he didn't.

I heard a stick snap behind me as Tommy started saying something about that person, the messages, and our D-Tectors—pretty much the stuff I'd been thinking about previously. After hearing that sound, I spun around on my heel and looked around; there was nothing I could see, but I knew better. Either something was coming, or some Digimon was screwing with my head again.

I kept staring back out at the trees behind the group and all around us as JP asked, "Should I knock?" But I didn't pay any attention to him; our enemies had camouflage on all sides of us. No matter what was inside that castle, we were safer in there, with all the places to take refuge if we needed to take off and plan some more or something. But knowing most of the others, they wouldn't listen if we needed to. Mainly Takuya.

I reached into my pocket and tightly gripped my D-Tector, my fingers trembling when the black clouds appeared again—in the bright daylight, they looked more like wide-spread smoke from an on-going fire. Rowloamon was still there; she hadn't left at the break of day like I'd first thought. She was still coming for that downfall of mine she'd been going on about. Who was she supposed to be to me anyway?

I could tell that Koji'd looked back at me staring at the trees like one of them had made an immature comment about me making the others laugh again. Upon seeing the spooked and unsure look on my face, he told the others, "I still don't think its safe." _I don't think you should be taking safety awareness notes from my Koji, it just doesn't feel like a good idea to be getting tips on life from a corpse._

Suddenly a surprised look crossed his serious face when his pocket started to glow. He pulled out his D-Tector, and I realized that it was just his D-Tector glowing, not his pocket. _That would've been kinda weird: Hey Koji! You're pocket's starting to glow! You should probably get that checked out or something!_

Right before he made that face—actually, while he was making that strange, bewildered face—I could've sworn that Tommy was staring at him. Namely Koji's…uhh, back pockets. And with a confused look on his face too. Honestly that kid was freakin' the crap outta me. _What a little pervert...If he keeps staring at Koji, I'm gonna punch his perverted little lights out…_

The large crystal-seeming doors before us shuddered before opening up wide for us to go into the courtyard. It felt a bit too perfect of timing to me, but I also knew that the person that communicated with us through the D-Tectors didn't really act like the type to lead up into a trap, so I led the way through the now open doorway without an evident appearance of fear. But it was there alright, there was no way I could've denied that if I stopped moving, I would've been shaking in my socks.

I could hear JP and Takuya exchanging comments on the movement of the door. Takuya was first, "Well, at least they're polite…I guess." I could tell he wasn't quite as sure about that as he wished he could be, but then again everyone was a bit nervous about the big, sparkly rock-building that loomed like a solar eclipse over us.

"Either that or eager to lure us in there." JP scoffed at Takuya's wishful statement. It was pretty clear that he was one of the most worried out of the group now, and wasn't doing a very good job of hiding it like he should've been as not to put that same stress on the others. That same fear was beginning to set in on me, and my legs felt frozen with it, all of my movements forced so they would warm again with some kind of bravery, or courage, or something. Anything to replace the pathetic fear.

But I shook my head, throwing my panic aside, and replacing it with a strained recklessness that I always told myself was better to have than any fear at all. If I was afraid, no matter what Weregarumon told me, it meant I was weak; and to fight, you couldn't be weak, couldn't be afraid. And I had to fight. The unlikely warriors behind me were the closest thing to a family I had now; they were the only thing that was anything like a family to me anymore.

Though, I knew that I couldn't become too attached to them like one would with a normal family. I had to realize that one day, I might come across an enemy that means them more harm than it does me, and I may not be able to give them the time to get away to save the rest of the Digital World. And when that day came, I couldn't show my despair and fright; I had to remain cold to everything in order to stay awake in this place. It was the only way to survive that I knew anyhow.

Approaching what seemed like the last door, I stopped and waited for the others to catch up again; if Koji's D-Tector had opened one door, and if Zoe's, JP's, and Tommy's had cleared the heavy fog, cleared the path of tree-stairs, and shown which path to choose in the first place, it might be Takuya's turn to open this last one. It seemed like a logical assumption…so I waited.

As I waited for them to come through the frickin' door, I heard Zoe say in her prissy little voice, "I say we go inside. How bad can it be? If Toshiku thought it was dangerous, I think she's smart enough to know not to go in—but then again, no one ever said she was smart to start out with—"

"Zoe," Takuya warned with a hot threat in his voice and anger in his probably-better-than-JP's-chocolate eyes. That was probably the most temperamental I'd seen him get with Zoe since they'd first met and hadn't started getting along right off the bat. I was actually quite touched that he really did care enough to stick up for me like that. Was that why he'd been able to give that verre of Flame to me? Because he…cared? If so…was it like that for the others too? But then what about Gigasmon and the verre of Earth?

Zoe rolled her eyes in annoyance for both Takuya and me—mainly me for making Takuya like me to start out with. I could tell that Zoe wanted Takuya for herself; she could have him if she really wanted, I wouldn't really mind. As long as she didn't go on and on and on about him in front of me. She might make me chunder. "Well, what I was saying was—How bad could it be? Sleeping Beauty used to live in a castle in the forest."

Koji's voice seemed a bit rougher than usual as he commented with a slightly sarcastic tone which I enjoyed, "Yeah, well so did the Wicked Witch." I snickered as I thought of something to say. Sure it was a bit insulting to Minamoto over there, but hey, he would either get over it like he always did, or he'd get back at me even better. He was spiffy like that.

"You would know Dorothy, you would know…" I mumbled under my breath like a breeze, but it was clear and far louder than what it needed to be to just be to myself. Koji heard it, and so did everyone else. And they—that is, all except for Koji—thought it was the best thing I'd said the whole time they'd known me. _That_ my friend, to them, must've been saying something.

But Koji just stood there, one hand in his pocket and one clenched into a threatening fist, blushing embarrassedly at me with a death-glare that was extremely hard to believe with the way his face was flushing. It was pretty hard to take him as seriously pissed off when he was holding back that pretty little smile and his face was redder than a cherry.

"Well, we'll never find out what's in there if we don't go in." Tommy agreed—when he'd stopped laughing and tried to hide that he'd almost wet himself from laughing so hard that is—with Zoe and her princess theory, completely changing the subject from the Dorothy incident back to the moreover serious matter at hand. And with that bit of obvious information, they finally came through the door, caught up to me, and we all headed in the general direction of the last door.

"Says the kid at the back of the line." JP scoffed with a quiet nervousness again, and suddenly he was trying to slink back to the back of the line himself. But I placed at hand on his shoulder and forced him forward. Not without a try at giving a piece of advice though; not that it was a really good idea that _I_ should be giving someone a hint about life.

"JP…You know, you were actually pretty brave when you asked me what you did last night," I told him in a hushed tone, not exactly wanting the others to hear and ask about what I was talking about. This was something that only JP had to hear, and he would do just that. "If you can show a bit of bravery to just me, then why don't you show a bit to Zoe? I know for a fact that she likes brave dudes—both of which I think you are—so, why don't you show all of us a bit more of it?"

I gave him another hard shove forward, this one a bit more encouraging than the last. He looked back at me with an authentically JP-happy smile that I knew could never have been faked, the warm invitation of friendship that had once never thought about being shown to me in his eyes. But it was there; while my face stayed blank and seemingly unaware of all of this. One way or another, I pretty much turned down that request. I didn't pick it up, nor did I think it was a good idea.

Sure I'd wanted to resolve a couple of bad tempered moments with him and Zoe…but I knew something that none of them that I could see were really taking notice of. Someday, everyone was going to leave, just as quickly as they'd come, the people who were my present 'family', were going to disappear as fast as snow in the middle of the summer. This pack I called my own was going to abandon me to the sentence of the lone wolf again, and I had to be ready for it. Because, like death, you were afraid of it because you never knew what hour it meant to come.

Someday, I'd be alone again, and I didn't want to forget how it felt. I didn't want to go through remembering and learning how it killed me to know there was no one, nothing but pain that was meant for others to help me again. I didn't want it to happen again…but I couldn't just forget it like that either. But…I didn't want them to go. I didn't want to be left with my past again, nothing but that to look back on and know. I'd had no idea then or now that it would ever hurt like this.

Takuya took up one of the old-fashioned door handles in his hand and pounded it against the crystal entrance. The bang of the door matched the trembling of my heartbeat, each sound of the handle hitting the door, another thump passed by on weak, shaking legs. I could hear the wind whipping so far away…just ripping like torrents in an ocean tide around the cloud that had me scared. _You're afraid of a couple of white puffy things…well this is a new one…_

But I knew that it had to be more than just that. That…thing had spoken to me, shaken all of the bravery and courage that I thought I had right back out of me like a hammer striking a nail that isn't there. She'd known my name; how had she learned it? The Three had also, but that didn't bother me as much as she did; how did she know who I was? Who was she? What did she mean to me? What did my pain mean to her?

"Maybe no one lives here…" Tommy said, looking back in my and the dark cloud-Digimon's direction. His voice faded nearly to silence at the end; I wondered if he'd seen her too. I wondered if anyone was being tortured by her threats. Or was I the only one who could hear them all? I could feel all of them as they fell upon my eardrums, even though I tried to drown them out, they still coursed down my spine like ice that refused to melt.

Koji seemed to notice the discomfort and fearful temper that kept crossing my face with each passing of a breeze; I kept thinking that something was moving past me, like a haunting would terrorize the host of their newfound torture victim. He kept glancing back at me as if to ask, 'Is something wrong?'

I caught his gaze and shook my head quickly. Maybe a bit too quickly, not hesitant enough for him to take it as honest. I could see it in his eyes; he knew I was lying by saying that I was fine, that everything was just frickin' peachy like it always was when someone asked me that kind of a question. But I shook my head again, this time forcing out a small curve of my mouth that was supposed to look something like a smile. Koji must've either believed me this time, or planned to talk to me when we were alone later. I hoped he'd just decided to believe me and leave it at that.

A threat coursed down my back again, and I could feel a strange warm breeze flow down my back. It was the feeling of someone breathing down my back as the words came out, the syllables all coming out as little, menacing snarls and gnashing, sharp teeth, _"If you tell them darling…I'll take Light and Darkness from you before you even have a chance. I swear to Lord Cherubimon, you breathe a word of what is to come for all of your souls…and I'll take them from you right…now…"_

Rage pooled inside me like spilled blood; she didn't have the right to take them! "I don't know who you are, or why you want me to suffer so badly," I mumbled, trying to keep it under my breath so the others wouldn't hear, but as my temper rose, so did the tone of my voice. "But you won't get away with trying to do that. Any of that! I…I won't ever let you get close enough to even touch a hair on their heads! I—"

I stopped rapidly when I realized how loud I'd been: I'd been close to shouting…shouting at air. Sure I'd been pretty far from it still, but a couple more sentences and I would've been screaming at the top of my lungs. Then the others really would've been staring, a lot more than what they were now.

"Who in whatever world you want to be in right now are you talking to Toshiku?" Zoe asked me as she stared at me with a skeptical eye; she knew that no matter what I said, or what I didn't, there would be something I was keeping from them. And yet again, she'd be right about that.

I didn't answer her right away. How could I say anything? If I told her the truth, first of all, I doubted that she'd believe me; if they hadn't believed me right away about the Three, why would any of them believe me now? And second…would Rowloamon really go through with that plan of hers? Would she take them, spirit and all?

Not knowing how or what to say, I kept my silence. If it was better that none of them knew what was happening, that none of them really knew _me_, then that was how it would have to be from now on. And that was how I would make sure it was. I let out a small sigh as everyone turned around again; except for Koji that is, he continued to try and lock gazes with me. Unsuccessful as I tried desperately to make him, he finally followed the others in looking away when Takuya's D-Tector began to glow with a bright red light that shone out from the screen and enveloped the whole device.

Suddenly the doors Takuya had just been banging on opened with a small couple of creaks, and someone appeared just out of the blue-ish darkness behind the doors. _See Ta-kun, that's why you don't knock like that. Now some old Digimon's gonna come out and shout, 'Get off my lawn you stupid kids! Get gone before I call the Digi-cops!' And before ya know it, you'll have learned we really did come here for abso-frickin'-lutely nothing._

But that was no old guy; a Digimon that looked to be in his prime—even though with Digimon they could've been eleven billion years old and you'd never have known it—and had a long, gray-handled wand/walking stick/pointy thing-a-ma-jig-ar with a snowflake on the very end. That was the end that must've been kinda sorta dangerous, 'cause it was pointed in our direction. Namely Takuya's.

Even though he was shorter than all of us except for Tommy, Neemon, and Bokomon, he looked a bit wily and mentally unstable with that wand thing of his—like the coyote—and that told me one thing when he pointed that I-broke-into-a-Digital-dude's-home-and-stole-this-from-his-family-snowglobe-ha-ha thing at Takuya: Move and get in freaky-looking blondie's way.

I dashed forward, past JP, Tommy, and Zoe and put myself between Takuya, Koji, and the others and the snowflake thief over there. I didn't really know why I always had to be the thing between them and danger. It just happened; I could see that at least Zoe thought I was always trying to be some kind of hero. I knew anyone would. But I had a purpose for my actions concerning them, and that was something no one but me would ever understand. Although, I still wasn't too sure about it either.

When the blondie with the wand didn't back down, I decided it would be foolish if I just stood here and lend him an opportunity to wallop one of us with an attack of some freaky kind, so I did what anyone else would do. I tried to tackle him. I tried to tackle a Digimon that clearly been in more fighting than me, and could, with his height, or lack of it, easily take me out at the knees.

I probably would've been able to take him out if he hadn't had that snowflake stick in his hand when I tried. But, the next thing I knew however, a big white thing was flying at me through the air, and collided with me in a mixture of pain, and shame from figuring that had probably looked either really stupid, or pretty dumb. All the while, that Digimon with a Barbie's hair shouted at me, "Get back Cherubimon scum!"

Either way, I'd just made a fool of myself…again. Weregarumon wouldn't have let me do that; I growled at the remembrance of him there on the ground as I held my now aching head in my hand. I didn't want to have to keep thinking about him, but I didn't think it was really something I _shouldn't_ be doing. What was I supposed to do; who was I supposed to be centering all my being and mind on when I barely knew who was going to be there another day?

I wiped the scowl from my face and sat there with a blank, almost-realization look on my face. _That_ was it. That was what I was missing; I needed to be alone inside, to make sure my strength wasn't shaken by emotional pain. If I was alone…there would be no one for Rowloamon to take away from me. She'd have nothing against me; even if she never came face to face with me anyway, it was a bit nice to know that there wasn't going to be the possibility of her getting any kind of upper hand.

Zoe was surprisingly at my side in less than a millisecond, trying to get me to stand back up. But wanting to stick with my plan of staying apart from them, I struggled against her grip and tried to stay down on the ground. None of them were there. Even when Tommy joined her in trying to get me up, I still tried to act as if I were a bit disoriented or something so they'd leave me alone.

I finally got back up onto my feet and let someone drag me up; Takuya was starting to piss me off by being so pleasant and caring today. Ta-kun and KojKoj seemed pretty pissed off that whoever the guy with the witch hat was had whacked me upside the head with that winter-stick. Takuya was the one to speak as Koji's face knotted and twisted with rage as he snarled menacingly at the Wizardmon look-alike—they were pretty much the same, except this guy was white, blue, and purple, and Wizzie over there was more like a scarecrow than a wizard-magician-ha-ha-I-whack-you-with-frickin'-stick guy.

"Isn't that Wizardmon?" Takuya asked with confusion in his concern-for-me and Salamander-boy-rage for Cape-man over there. I couldn't help that while he'd been talking, he'd still kept his hands wrapped around my shoulders even though I'd already stood up and stopped with the 'disorientations' to get Zoe and Tommy to go away. I shot him a bit of a 'What the hell do you think you're still doing?' look and he back off a bit. Not very far, but far enough for a bit of comfort.

Tommy seemed to be the second out of the group to reassure me that he wasn't colorblind by saying, "But he's a different color!" _Thank you for stating that for the rest of the group Teddy. It really helps when you state the obvious to those who aren't listening…or aren't paying any attention either way. Same frickin' difference._

"And meaner!" JP added, a tiny hint of fury in his voice. I wondered if it was because of the bump that was now forming on my head and the one who'd just given it to me. I held back a smile; I guess getting the verre of Thunder meant more than possibly having another little stone in my pocket. It also meant that there was one more person who was willing to stand up beside me and take a hit or two.

But soon that smile that I had to hide disappeared from my blank face before it even had a chance to break through to the warm sunlight hanging in the once foggy air. If I had to stay away from the others to keep them safe, to keep them from the horror I knew death was, I wouldn't be able to take and accept that warm companionship that had been offered to me so many times.

Once I could remember…so many years ago, there had been a little boy. Not my little brother; he'd been my age, maybe a bit younger. I'd never gotten to see much of his hair, though what I saw of it had been black—a very clean black that shimmered like the sheen that reflected on your face if you looked into a pool of water just the right way. I couldn't remember his eyes, but I knew that even if I didn't remember, it was easy to assume that they'd been a soft, tender shade of the coolest color of the rainbow. They had to have been a wonderful color, for a wonderful person. Although we'd only spoke once, that boy would be someone who'd made an impact on my life.

If only I could remember exactly why he'd made that significant impression on me. It had to have been pretty important for me to want to remember as badly as I did; but I couldn't, and that was that. No wishing could bring back those memories. Heh, I'd forgotten what I wanted to remember in my life, but the thoughts I didn't want anymore stayed and waited for me to come home to my solace-mind and find them awaiting the time when they'd be the only things I had left.

Even though I didn't remember his words, I did recall that he'd had some kind of headwear; a…blue hat…with some kind of white design thing sewn on to make it more than just plain cerulean…it had been too big for his head at the time though. _Wonder if he grew into it by now…Wonder what his name was too…I hope he's alright—_

"Toshi? You okay?" I shook my head slightly, knocking the stray strands of hair from my eyes before glancing at whoever was tugging on my sleeve. I expected to see Tommy—he was usually the one tugging at me—but it was Koji, standing there with a caring worry in his eyes as he held the sleeve of my shirt. A couple inches southward and he'd be holding my hand.

I tried to smile and nodded reassuring to him—a lie, but I had to so he wouldn't waste his precious time worrying about me, he had all kinds of better things to do than think about me—and the distress in his eyes faded to that soft, happy-glow they seemed to get every now and then. But I could see in the small grin from his lips that he knew there was something I wasn't saying, but he didn't ask, so I didn't bring it up. Instead, I couldn't help but snatch his hand up in mine in reply to that little smile.

After having held his hand a couple of times now and kissed him twice, I kinda expected that Koji would get used to it and not really think much of me wanting to feel his touch however I could. I, of course, wasn't used to the feeling; you couldn't _get_ used to the sensation that Koji gave you. I tried not to smile, but keep a blank face as Koji's face turned a very bright red, making his face glow with a cute serenity as he pulled me through the open door of the castle.

As we headed on our way to catch up to the others, Koji gave me a quick overview of what had happened when I'd been sorting out my thoughts—or so I told him. He explained that after I'd zoned out after being whacked over the head, Takuya'd shouted a couple of things at the blondie—who was apparently Sorcerymon, and had apologized for hitting me—but after Takuya mentioned beating Gigasmon, Sorcerymon lowered the wand thing and asked if we were really allies to Cherubimon.

Koji said that he'd told Sorcerymon that we were all on the same side—which wasn't Cherubimon's side of course, so yeah. All on the same frickin' side: Left. _Just like NASCAR. He made a left turn! He made another left turn! He made _another _left turn! I wonder what's gonna happen next! Sorcerymon! Knock it off already; you're making me dizzy!_

By the time I forgot about Sorcerymon going round and round and round in circles—and the fact I thought I was gonna puke 'cause of my self-caused dizziness—I realized Koji was asking me not only if I was even listening to him, but he was asking me what I kept on looking at outside. Mainly why I kept staring at the sky; he'd said something about if I thought we were gonna get bombed, he'd kinda want to know.

I struggled to smile at the little piece of heaven looking back at me as Koji questioned again, "Are you sure you're okay? Your skin looks pale, like you've seen a ghost or something. And your hand," I blushed vividly as Koji's warm hand tightened its grip on mine. "You feel so cold. Are you afraid of something tha—"

My eyes went wide with surprise and sudden fear, and I pulled my hand away from his despite how much I liked to feel that comforting presence so close to me; could Koji really tell when I was scared? If he could, that wasn't really a good thing. He'd be getting all kinds of fear-signals coming from me through the antenna in his bandana all the frickin' time.

Koji seemed confused at why I'd gotten away from him as fast as I had; he and I both knew I'd never done that before. The befuddlement was clear as water in his eyes, the pure cerulean seeming to ask me without words, _"What is it? Was it something I said, or is something really out there that's frightening you?"_

But I wasn't about to tell Koji any of this; I might explain when I finally found someone smart enough to make all of it clear to me. Besides, we were nearing the group anyway, and I didn't want them to hear it if I did indeed tell Koji. We'd have to be alone for me to be able to talk about it and actually seem like I knew what the hell I was talking about. Instead I just whispered with a slow shake of my head, "It's nothing, just nothing."

Knowing that this was by no means 'nothing', Koji gazed at me with an I-don't-understand-why-you-won't-talk-to-me expression on his face. But also knowing that there was no way I was gonna be saying any more, Koji let me be and walked ahead of me to follow Sorcerymon more closely. I tried to hold back my disappointment at his leaving; I always hated when Koji walked away, but I liked to watch the way he did. I wished I hadn't pushed him away, but even if I hadn't when I did, I would've had to when we came up to the others so they wouldn't see us holding hands.

Koji was now way up ahead of me, and I was alone at the end of the 'line' of the group. Again. Now that he wasn't by me anymore—which honestly made me quite sad—Koji asked Sorcerymon with a much more serious, rough tone than the one he'd been using with me, "Where are you taking us anyway?"

"To meet someone." Sorcerymon said quite matter-of-factly. I waited for him to keep talking, but when he said nothing, I was tempted to shout out, 'Why do you keep shutting up so fast I-can't-tell-the-difference-between-a-rock-and-Gigasmon-mon?!' but I stayed silent. He'd probably start considering whether or not to whack me again for safety purposes again if I did.

"I bet it's a trap…" Koji grumbled with a keen alertness to his tone that set me right back on my toes. He could just do that to a person: Someone's sleeping on the job, Koji the Chief Security Guard will say something in that voice of his, and that bonkura will be back on his feet in less than two seconds.

Tommy was apparently the guy who got fired three and a half seconds after Koji hired him. "You think everything's a trap." _Well, yeah. When you're as spiffy as Minamoto over there, ya gotta be careful. Or else you'll wake up and have a thug or four locked in your bathroom. That's the kind of traps Koji knows to watch out for. And the ones that'll actually happen here too._

"So? What's so wrong with that?" I questioned Tommy with a bit of a shrug of my shoulders. I shouldn't have said a fair amount of this—especially since Blondie the Wizard was still listening—but I did anyway. "I think you people and all these Digimon—" _Besides the pretty Minamoto boy over there. _"—left their sane minds on some Trailmon. Probably the one that kept passing us while we were looking for one. Nobody complains about that theory to me."

"Want somebody to start—" Zoe began to proceed with the whining that she did so well, but Sorcerymon—now becoming my favorite Digimon that we'd met since he pretty much told her to shut the hell up—cut her off.

"Caution is wise friends, but only within reason." He told us, his voice staying level, sturdy, and unwavering, like the bark of a tree protects the softer, not-so-tough material beneath, and doesn't bow to any kind of weather as he stopped before another crystal door. _So, I'm assuming that limit goes about to when you hit a girl in the head with a gay-looking wand? _"This is no trap, this is a prophesy."

Sorcerymon pushed the doors open—for a minute there a thought he was like a Jedi and moved them with a wave of his hand, but I was proved wrong when I noticed he let go of the door—and I heard the rest of the group gasp as they took in the sight I thought we were all looking at right now: A giant crystal room, in a giant crystal castle, and a Digimon frozen in a rock on the ceiling. _So I'm not the only one you hit with that wand Sorcerymon!_

I moved forward, now apparently able to walk faster than the others, and led the group into the large, chasm-reminding room. The group of legendary warriors followed after me after a moment. I heard Koji ask, "So where is he?" _You really didn't see him? Huh, I thought you of all people would've seen the guy stuck in the rock up there KojKoj._

"Up there," Sorcerymon said simply, not evening making an effort to gesture to his—I could only guess—friend in a stone. Everyone looked up, and that must've signaled to Sorcerymon that now it was story/introduction time. "Allow me to introduce our salvation: Seraphimon."

I stared up with wonder and awe at the Digimon before—er, above my head. The Digimon within the other crystal—_Kamisama Sorcerymon, someone's obsessed with crystals now aren't they?_—was much different than any Digimon I'd fought before. From what I could count, ten separate wings grew out from his back, and his armor was of one of the lightest blues in the rainbow.

I zoned out when I realized Zoe was talking—or at least tried really hard to block out her nagging, whiny little voice—but hear her anyway. I mentally rolled my eyes when she asked in a little girly tone, "Um, are you supposed to know who that is?"

_Great. Now he's going to go into a lecture. Thanks Zoe._ Despite the fact I didn't want to listen to a History lesson, I tried to pay as much attention and learn what I could from all he was saying."Seraphimon was one of the three Celestial Digimon chosen to rule this world." _…Hey, whatdya know? No speech yet. Surprising._

"So what are we supposed to do?" Takuya (who'd been surprising quiet) questioned Sorcerymon while still staring up at Seraphimon. I wondered what would happen if his head got stuck in that position. I'd laugh. And point. And laugh some more. Then maybe help. While laughing. "He's all frozen up."

"Perhaps not for long," He told us without even taking a hesitant moment to think about what he was saying. Sorcerymon must've been practicing while we were waiting outside for him to open the frickin' door. "There is a prophesy—"

A woman's voice cut Sorcerymon off from finishing whatever he was about to say. I barred my teeth with a bit of uneasy nervousness; that was the voice from the messages on my D-Tector. That was her. "Let you light shine as one." _But we already have one Koji! Or are you talking about the same light as Rowloamon? In that case, I don't know if I even wanna know what the hell you're going on about!_

Everyone started looking around with puzzled looks on their features, but no one seemed as surprised as Sorcerymon. Apparently, he knew who this woman-Digimon was. "That was Lady Ophanimon! She's the one who asked me to watch over Seraphimon!" _Aww, she told you to watch over her frozen boyfriend. How…uh, sweet? _

"Ophanimon?" Takuya and I repeated simultaneously, me to get the name to roll over my vocal cords so I'd remember it, Takuya, I had no idea why he said her name. Maybe he thought that was the right thing to do at whatever time this was. Takuya continued talking, I remained silent again. "She must be the voice that told us to come here!"

"It's all falling into place," Sorcerymon said as he closed his eyes, recognition of the prophesy he'd already planned to tell us about returning to his memory. His voice had now lost a lot of its roughness, and had been replaced with the tone of someone who had regained their hope. "I brought you here because the prophesy says that one day a group of wayward humans will free Seraphimon."

I could hear Bokomon and Neemon talking about something, but I droned their voices out of my thoughts for now as I pondered the fact that we were here to help Seraphimon now. Was that it, or was there more? Had I been sent here only to get the Ten to the Forest Terminal, and have Seraphimon take everything from here on out?

_"Ophanimon…What are you telling us to do? What do you want me to do? Why…Why am I even here if all you need in the legendary warriors? Because they're right here…"_ I knew I wouldn't even be bothered to get an answer, but it was worth the talking. I needed to hear myself ask all these questions, just so I'd remember how they felt on my lips and I'd remember what the words were.

My eyes widened slightly at the sudden incessant beeping my D-Tector started emitting. I pulled it from my pocket and stared as it flashed with all kinds of different colors as it continued to sound, making me wonder if it was some kind of bomb now. The colors reminded me of the people around me, but that didn't make any sense. Why would it do that?

Kinda out of the blue, the others' D-Tectors each shot a ray of light off at mine, and when each individual colored brightness came close to hitting my D-Tector, it seemed to just…absorb it. I stared befuddled at my D-Tector as the marks of the legendary warriors' elements appeared in black on the screen of my D-Tector, each one appearing for a few seconds before fading to the next one.

"Toshiku, what's your D-Tector doing?" Takuya seemed to come forth for everyone with this question. Everyone—including Sorcerymon—stared intently at my D-Tector as it screwed itself up. _For once, Takuya's right with asking: What the hell are you doing D-Tector? Great, now I'm talking to an inanimate object. Just frickin' perfect. As long as I don't answer, I'm not going insane._

"What are you—" I started to whisper, started to ask a question, but was cut off pretty fast when a burst of light belted out of my D-Tector like bullets out of a gun. The force of the blast flung me backwards into the wall, leaving me gasping for breath as I slid to the floor.

I sat in a heap of confusion, fallen debris that I'd broken off the wall because of the hard recoil, and wonder as the others D-Tectors suddenly shot of long beam of light also, theirs however didn't send them flying. When all of the lights hit the frozen-rock Seraphimon, in short the rock exploded in a burst of red-shaded electric pulses.

I coughed up a couple of pebbles and a cloud of dust—Sorcerymon didn't clean very well—as Seraphimon levitated down to the ground perfectly erect, like a Celestial Digimon must stand to show their importance, their power. It must've been pretty interesting ruling the world with this guy. Think of how hard it would be to shut him up.

"The prophesy!" Sorcerymon exclaimed for what seemed like the third or fourth time. But now wasn't time for counting words, apparently it was greeting time again. Maybe a bit of story time too. "Welcome back Lord Seraphimon!" _That's it? Your buddy's been up there for how long and all you've got is that?! You sure are one sad little Digimon Blondie._

"It's good to be back my faithful servant," Seraphimon replied in a valiantly well-deep voice that suited a Digimon like him like peanut and butter. _Oh! So that's why he was stuck to the ceiling! He'd been playing with peanut butter! That explains everything!_ "You have done well.

"Sorcerymon tell me, there's so little I remember…" _And here I thought this guy would never shut up. Now here he is and is barely even saying anything. Surprise surprise. Kinda like one of those hero's comebacks things, everyone's eccentric, but the hero doesn't give a chikushou._

I thought about getting up and going over to everyone, but then I decided to just see how things played out and hang low till they fully did. In the meantime, Sorcerymon with the weather, "My Lord, when your defeat seemed eminent, Ophanimon was able to get you to safety. She sealed you away from danger so you could be revived after the trouble had passed." _…So…it wasn't peanut butter? Or did she go the smart route and use peanut butter so no one would suspect she did it?_

"Ophanimon! That's right!" Seraphimon exclaimed with a sudden tone of worry. I pondered the idea that maybe she was his Digital-girlfriend or something; it sure sounded like it. "Has she been harmed? Why isn't she here?"

Sorcerymon bowed his head in a show of sorrow as he replied, "Truth is often unpleasant I'm afraid No one knows where she is…" He suddenly looked up with that spark of hope in his eye again as he finally gestured to us. "But these humans have been in contact with her, so all is not lost."

Seraphimon looked back at us with a mixture of shame, and a bit of the look you'd give a little kid you don't know who just called you his mother. "These humans? But…they're only children…"

"Yes," Bokomon told him, his voice sounding a bit irritated for having to keep explaining this to all kinds of people. Like the Candlemon. "But they're also Legendary Warriors and an Elemental Sentinel—" _What the hell is that? Is Bokomon referring to me?_ "—and if not for them you'd still be stuck to the ceiling!" _Yeah Peanut Butter-boy! Kamisama I'm glad no one heard that…_

If we were able to see Seraphimon's face, a smug smile would've crossed his features. His voice sounded quite amused and somehow disbelieving though it was obvious he knew it was true, "Legendary Warriors?" His gaze seemed to shift to me and change to a sympathetic one that almost scared me. Why was he looking at me like that? "And an Elemental Sentinel…Impressive."

As the others made comments about how we deserved a couple of answers or something, I was still dumbstruck by the feeling Seraphimon's gaze towards me had owned. And besides that, what the heck was an Elemental Sentinel? _Nani yo_? And here the rest of the group thought they wanted some answers…

"Very well little ones, you shall be told. Sorcerymon," Seraphimon turned his head to face his shorter than an ant servant. "Explain to them the story of the Digital World. I recall having told you it many times; you should know it quite well by now.

"You, Moon Sentinel," The only way I could tell he was talking to me was the fact that he pointed at me out of the rest of everyone else, and that he said 'moon'. He couldn't have been speaking to anyone else. But part of me wished that he had been. "We must speak. There are many things you must know about that you still do not."

My feet felt heavy as I moved away from the others and followed Seraphimon to the side of the room farthest from the other ears. I didn't understand why he chose to give me answers when he could be paying more attention to the actual Legendary Warriors, but I had wanted answers, and this was as good a time as any.

"You wonder what an Elemental Sentinel is, yet you have a Digimon with the book that can give you all the answers you need within your midst," Seraphimon stated as he turned to face me. We stood parallel to the wall; I could see the others and Sorcerymon talking from here, and I could tell that every now and then, one of them would glance over at us, perhaps wonder what was going on. I wished I knew. "This is surprising—"

"Maybe I don't want the others to know that they're being hunted by more than just Cherubimon's known fiends. Did you ever think of that? Shouldn't you know that I'm not—"

"A Legendary Warrior. I do realize that." Seraphimon stopped my anger and I felt it cool and fade as he continued to answer questions I didn't even knew he knew I had. I barely knew I had them. "You believe you have no one, so you fight; so you save others from the death you know will come if something doesn't happen. You must find a reason to change who you are, who you used to be—"

I snarled and held my voice back; I didn't want to shout, but he was making me so aggravated so fast…I could hardly bear it. "What if I don't want to change? What if I can't change? What are you expecting of me? I've been like this for as long as I can remember—"

"As long as you're letting yourself remember. You refuse to ponder life before your family's passing though it is something you must live with every day. You can't just forget them and move on; life doesn't work like that no matter how much you wish it would. If you want to live, you must find something to make you realize you need to change yourse—"

I stopped him with another question; I didn't want to hear this anymore. I just wanted a few questions out of the way. I didn't need to hear a whole speech on my life. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the five verres and handed them to him so he could see them closer—even though he had no eyeholes. "What are these? What are verres? Why do I have them? Wh—"

"I realize you require answers, and the only purpose for these answers being given to you is that I know you will not leave no matter what I tell you, but you must slow down. Calm yourself; you have time to ask and receive each question and each reply. You are not wasting your time with these questions. All of their answers will only aid you in the end; though they may weigh you down now.

"The verre, young child, is a very powerful object that is not to be taken lightly because of its size. The strength that each verre contains within its makeup is that of the Legendary Warrior you received said verre from. As you can clearly see, you have the verres of Wind, Earth, Light, Fire, and Thunder—it is honestly a wonder that you've gotten half of them as quickly as you have, but the last five shall be a struggle you will find. But mind you, retrieving all of them will help you when the time comes that your soul, your life must be transfigured.

"If one dies, the others will follow in their footsteps no matter what. It does not matter if they know not to go down the path before them, for they know they must and they will. You are the one thing keeping their feet from slipping, and you must remain that one thing. For if you are not…the Digital World will have no one left to depend on.

"And you are wrong: If you keep hidden from the Legendary Warriors that surround you, all will not remain alright. You will crumble under the pressure of the agony that is yet to come, and you won't be able to transfigure to the form you need to survive. You won't have the strength.

"All you need to know now is that you will eventually need that reason to live. Your spirit will help you when you have no one left to save you, but she cannot keep you alive for all the time you need. Her strength is fading, fading along with the life she has no more. But you must know that one day you will follow in the path she took by mistake—"

Whatever Seraphimon was going to say, he didn't get to. Grumblemon's spiked hammer came through the glass-apparent wall, and he spoke in that grammar-reluctant voice, "Good, all brat brigade here!" For a minute there I thought he'd been swearing a couple of times, but then I re-thought and realized what he said. And to notice that he'd brought company.

I pulled out my D-Tector with a growl and evolved to Wereraiomon before Seraphimon or anyone could stop me. Pounding the ground with my feet and making what seemed like the whole Digital World shake—which didn't seem to be very hard because of how much of itself it was missing—I lowered my head and started forward at a flat-out sprint in the other Warriors' direction.

"Wait!" Seraphimon chose to do the dumbest thing anyone could do when I was angry and in my beast spirit evolution. He grabbed onto my tail and flung me back with strength I didn't know was possible for someone who just woke up to have. "You must wait until you know who you're up against. You must know that."

Still being tired from running all last night, I spun around, ready to gnash my teeth against his armor, see if maybe I could break it. But then again, I wasn't expecting a fist to come crashing into my muzzle, a loud snap following the impact. I let out a cry and tried to get away from Seraphimon, but he held my tail tightly. He finally let me go when my data surrounded me and forced me to come back out of Wereraiomon's form.

I lay on my back on the crystal-glass floor (it would've been frickin' awesome to run in just your socks in here), my head feeling like I'd just gotten it stuck in an elevator door. And repeatedly shot in the nose by some guy in the elevator also. I swung my aching head around to look at Seraphimon. "What…the hell…was that for?"

But Seraphimon didn't answer me. Instead I listened as he ignored me and paid attention to arguing and half-introducing with the four other Legendary Warriors. I didn't get up; if I did, I was pretty sure I was going to choke those noodles back up, and no one wanted to see that.

I heard Grumblemon start giving introductions to the three Warriors beside him. "Ranamon," Not only did he just say their names, but they apparently decided it would be a nice time to give a quick description on themselves. Kinda like on those dating websites, except they wanted to kill us.

The freaky blue creature that would've actually been pretty cool despite the fact she seemed pretty frickin' girly and had a southern accent that made her seem even more prissy stated, "Charmed, I'm sure."

"I'm not…" I mumbled, prepared to make a comment on each and every single one of them. I didn't care if they decided to kick me while I lay here on the ground. Maybe I'd puke on their feet; that would be frickin' hilarious.

"Arbormon," _...Is that who I think it is…? Yes! It is! This is gonna be awesome…_Of course I thought the next one was just too much. Why would they do this to a Digimon?

"You're in for it now, alright." The heavily accented Digimon told us. But I wasn't paying any attention to what he was saying. I was too eccentric about my comeback. It was better than pretty much anything I'd been reminded of since I got to this world.

"Hey there Kool-Aid Man, how's it been? You haven't come crashing through my frickin' wall in a _long_ time!" But I knew I'd gone too far as soon as the words came out of my mouth. I shouldn't have so carelessly mocked them; it had been stupid. I realized all that when Arbormon detached his frickin' arm, and it came at me like a slinky, the fist wrapping around my neck and dragging me back to their side of the room through the open air.

A crushing pressure started to surround my throat as his fist began to close in around me. I struggled to breathe as I heard Takuya, Koji, and Zoe cry out my name. "You let her go now!" Koji shouted, his voice rising in pitch ever so lightly with his fury and his fear. Now I knew I'd made a mistake.

"I'm…I'm not afraid of you Arbormon…" I spat at him before the other hand came out of nowhere and slammed into my face. Blood mixed with my saliva and began to dribble from my mouth; I was glad the others couldn't see me bleeding.

"I'll teach you alright…" Kool-Aid Man replied as his grip strengthened and I heard my neck cracking; I could feel the sharp, agonizing pains ripple through my body as my vertebrae threatened to snap and my neck. I held back a cry as more blood trickled from my lips and splattered onto the floor in drops.

"No, you will not!" I felt myself losing perception as Seraphimon came forward with speed. _What…what are you doing Peanut Butter Man? What are you going to do?_ But then I didn't know what was going on. The next thing I did know, something else that held to me tightly was around my neck, and a strange, slow breeze was rushing through my hair.

I figured I'd been taken from Arbormon. And now…whatever had me was running. I couldn't feel anything; beginning to pass out, I heard a cry come from a voice that sounded like Seraphimon's…but I wasn't strong enough to open my eyes and look anymore.


	16. Chapter 14: Angel of Mine

***sighs* Sorry this took so long to finish. Between two reports due for school, forensics stuff, and just day to day crap, I haven't gotten much time to work on this. But, I have finished it finally...at...*checks clock* 10:58 PM. Oh yea! Yeah, I'm happy, and I had like...four oranges today, so...yeah. I hope you like this chapter. Oh, and I've got a new book that I'm working on for Digimon 02, I should be done with the first chapter pretty soon and have the prologue out shortly after. Have fun reading! :)**

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Chapter 14: Angel of Mine

Waking to a constant banging on your head and a never-gonna-end headache is not something that you want after being konked out for half of what felt like forever. I'd learned that after about ten seconds of trying to wake up and figure out what the hell I was doing trying to crack my skull open on something stiff and where the hell I was going. And why in _Kamisama_'s name I was moving without using my legs in the first place?

I figured it out when my head knocked against the thing again and a deep, almost scratchy voice that sounded like this guy should be dead right about now said in a clearly irritated-for-having-to-carry-me tone, "Will you stop that?! Thou art not the only one with a chronic head-spasm."

I stared at…apparently the back of the steel guy's head. I'd kinda been the one to cut off Grumblemon right before he was about to introduce this one. "…Uhh, who are you again? I must not have been paying attention when Mr. Annoying-_Bonkura_ was saying who the hell you were…So I don't believe we've met before. Who are you?"

As he searched his mind for whatever answer he'd give to me, I took this as an opportunity to figure out where the hell I was and where I was going to. When my head smacked against the back of the green-metallic Digi-dude again, I noticed that my wrists and ankles were bound; the space between my tied arms was filled by the top of the guy's head, which I was apparently trapped on.

In dumb people terms: I was stuck to his pointy head. Actually, it was too rounded at the very top to be called 'pointy'. It was more…cone-like, if you will. But then again, it didn't have the distinct orangey-ness that made it coney. So…it really wasn't…anything besides his head. Or…cranium hat-cap thing. Something that wasn't a cone, or anything at all pointy.

"Thy mind was visibly inattentive whilst my foolhardy collaborator was quoting said introductions—" _…Did he just call me something bad? 'Cause I think I just heard like…ten cuss words…_ "—so I may as well enlighten thee of my title of position as to shun being spoken any lesser of: I am Mercurymon, and thy lips and psyche shall by no means demean me to anything less."

I continued to stare at the back of his freakish head as I tried to figure out what he just told me. The incessant bang-dong of my head hitting the back of his cranium-tower was—even though it was given me a seriously inflamed and burning bump on the head—beginning to grow rhythmic, and I was sort of used to it by now. Mostly 'cause I was still numb up there from having Arbormon punch/choke me. I ran my tongue over the inner side of my lip, and immediately hated myself for doing so; there was a large cut from me biting down on my lip when Arbormon snatched me off the ground.

Dumbest. Most Painful. Mistake. A person could make.

"So, let me get this straight," I said as feeling started returning to my neck; I happily held my head higher now, out of reach of the back of his swishing spine that threatened to eventually whack my head right off. Sarcasm and mockery that hadn't been smacked out of me lingered thickly on my tone. "You're Mercurymon, and you're some kind of big tough guy that'll poke me if I call you something like…Oh, I don't know. A tall, green, mirror-y piece of _kuso_?"

Oooo, he didn't like that one bit! I could tell by the way that he tried to reach back and strangle me, but with the way his arms were, he couldn't quite bend that way. The only thing I wasn't expecting was what he said to me, "How can you repair their afflictions if thou art the sickness and thy contacts the alleviation? For too long thou will have faked this obsession; do you trust that a further forfeit will make thy essence chaste?"

That shut me up big time. My head banged against the stupid constant-headache-causing Mercurymon's metal skull as I tried to translate all of those words. But Einstein would've had to go find a dictionary, and so did I, but that was one thing I didn't have, and doubting Mercurymon carried one around in his pocket, I didn't ask. He wouldn't have trusted me with a big heavy book in the first place. How was I supposed to answer those questions—assuming they weren't rhetorical—if I could barely even understand what the hell he was saying?

Out of nowhere, thoughts of the others began pelting my mind like hail falling on a tin roof. Or Mercurymon. Where were they anyway? If Grumblemon and Arbormon weren't here…were they following Takuya and the others? Or had they been captured also and those two were just taking them someplace else so we wouldn't be together? Either way, I had to find someway back to them. How I was supposed to do that with no trail to follow except for Seraphimon's castle, I didn't know.

I furrowed my eyebrows with a sudden and deep worry; were Seraphimon and Sorcerymon alright? Sure I wouldn't have minded them getting a swift whack over the head for having both slammed something over my head one right after the other, but that didn't mean I wanted them seriously harmed. I could've sworn I'd heard Seraphimon scream before I'd passed out…

Making up my mind, I struggled to see over Mercurymon's giant head and ask Ranamon—or, at least I think that's what Grumblemon called her. He may've called her the annoying, blue, mermaid-without-tail-mon, but I'd rather talk to the Southern accented Digimon than the one that didn't speak frickin' English. "Hey, _omae_,"

For a second she didn't turn around; there was no possible way in her mind that I could be talking to her in this manner. But I was, and after drilling a hole in the back of her squid-ish head for half of forever, I called out to her again. This time she turned all the way around in an instant, her face contorted with an I'm-surprised-she's-awake-enough-to-piss-me-off expression, "What did you just call me?!"

"You heard me just fine, but I wanted to ask…What happened to Seraphimon? I couldn't see him when he…when he screamed…" My voice was shaky and not exactly as strong and straightforward as I'd wanted it to have been, but the question was out in the open now, testing the air for an answer like a reptile tasted the atmosphere for any scent of a prey-animal. Hopefully Ranamon would answer me, and not just let my question hang there and choke.

For a while she was silent, just looking back at me out of the corner of her red-iris-covered eyes—I couldn't help but notice that one set of eyelashes were longer than the other; I wondered if maybe she'd gotten her head caught in a lawnmower as a kid-Digimon. Then she spoke, that accent giving me a worse headache than the bang-bang-bang of Mercurymon walking—er, waddling (with the way he was built, that's what he did), "We took his data—" _…Wow, right to the point eh? _"—and he was barely able to do anything to save himself or you. Probably would've been able to get away if he hadn't tried so hard to get you away from Arbormon, but hey, he was obviously no genius—"

I snarled; I couldn't believe I was this angry about what she'd said, but I was, and there was no u-turning on this kind of a road. I struggled to glare daggers at her over Mercurymon's head, but it wasn't working too well. I'd have to figure out how to get away; I shouted irately at her through the shield that Mercurymon hadn't meant to be, "He was no idiot you _subeta_! He was…he was…well, I don't really know, I didn't really get to talk to him for that long, but I know for a fact that he by no means was stupid about anything he said or did!"

Swallowing forcefully to hold down my tightening throat, I thrusted myself forward towards Mercurymon's back, hit him, then reared back as fast and hard as my muscles and body possibly could. I gritted my teeth with the rough strain, every part of me still weak after being unconscious, but I didn't let go; I had to get away from him, and kick Ranamon's _oshiri_ for what she said.

Mercurymon fell over backwards with a stunned grunt that showed he clearly hadn't been expecting me to make him fall down. After squirming a fair amount under his dead-lead-weight—and striving not to laugh at the fact that, like a frickin' turtle, he couldn't get back up—I was able to get out from underneath Mercurymon and tear my hands from around his neck. But I wasn't capable of untying the binds on them however.

After having rolled away from Mercurymon, I jumped to my feet, the sudden weight on my legs nearly making my legs crumble with fatigue. But I stayed upright after a bunch of enthusiastic mental encouragements to all of my muscles. They however, replied with a distinct shot of pain that rippled through me like water being thrown on a campfire. It stung every part of me, crippling me to the point where I fell back to my knees clutching my head to keep the pain from fogging up my mind.

Ranamon seemed to enjoy watching me hold back screams of pain; but then again, what enemy didn't like seeing their opponent going paralytic with numbness from an agonizing hurt of the mind, soul, and/or body? Watching someone or something in pain was addicting, I knew it was. The feeling of not being able to stop staring had haunted me, and still knowing that's how I'd acted to this day…it still followed me like a shadow, stalking you until it was time to pounce, and bones to snap like twigs.

That feeling had been coursing through me at one time; it had many opportunities to come and scar my mind with its presence. I'd been in the hospital, holding my mother's hand (I would've been with my brother and father too, but sadly I learned I couldn't be in more than one place at a time)—a distended, blood-spattered, and ragged construction of flesh, tendons, and sharp, broken bone—when she'd screamed. A deafening, pain-drenched, never-ending sound that no one on earth should be able to make. No one in the universe.

I was so young…I didn't know what else to do but keep holding her hand when she screamed. I had no idea why she was screaming; the doctors and nurses had no clue either…And not knowing what was wrong made me so mad back then; all I wanted to do was scream along with them. But I didn't; I had to be strong for all of them. I had to see them through this with a reassuring, everything's-going-to-be-okay-I-promise smile.

How I wished that reality had been like that wishful-thinking smile. However, all we knew was that my brother and father had been doing the exact same thing. Their heart rates were going so fast when they shrieked…it was like they were being skinned and flipped inside out. When they cried out all at once you could hear them from all the way outside the hospital.

My eyes had been soaked and drowned in tears whenever my ears had to hear those sounds come out of them. Whenever I heard the electrocardiogram—or so the doctors had told me it was called; I'd had absolutely no idea of what it was besides a heart monitor back then—I knew it was coming, I knew…I knew I was going to hear it again. I'd realized from the first scream that there was no way that this was because of anything the human world could conjure. But what else could it possibly have been? Nothing else _had_ been probable back then.

Every day, at least four nurses, maybe a doctor or two would come up to me and say that any one of the three rooms that my mother, father, or brother were in were not the place for a child of my age. I'd thrown them a look that said, 'Drag me out if you want, but there are windows, and I can find a ladder just fine. You can't keep me away if you call the police and barricade the doors. I'll find a way' and told them calmly, despite my thoughts that were filled with screams and pain and suffering that I knew it wasn't, but these patients—these _people_—were my family, and I couldn't just leave them alone like the sun leaves the day to be suffocated by the moon and the army of the night that it brings.

But one night they forced me to go home, and I slept in my own frigidly cold bed, tossing and turning with sleeplessness, a clouded and frightened mind, and nightmares harassing me at every angle as I hid under my blanket from the darkness that was…_breathing_ all around me. I knew it was impossible, but I could hear every breath that it took, every exhale…every _heartbeat_.

I could feel the cold, icy breath of something coasting down my neck, making my hair stand on end. It was like there was…a monster behind me…underneath my bed…like it is in all horror movies, and in stories told at night around a campfire with someone waiting behind a tree just behind you, ready to jump out and bellow out a faked roar to scare you.

But this was no sibling or friend hesitantly and excitedly watching for the right moment to leap out of their hiding place and tackle you to the dirt, and make you laugh afterward. Oh no, not at all. This was a real monster: You could smell the distinct stank of rotting, human flesh on its tongue, between its teeth; you can hear the click-click-silence of its claw-ed toes on the floorboards at it approached your bedside; you feel the warm wetness of bloody, homicidally imprecise paws that have been clawing open human bodies for as long as it has lived. Everything to a fiend, you got it. I felt, heard…and saw it. In the darkness of my room, my bed, and my nightmares.

I'd been so scared; I hadn't known what to do. I was just about ready to jump out of my bed and run out to turn on all the lights and check underneath, behind, and above everything when a deep, crackly voice erupted in my mind, making me freeze in my fear. He'd said, 'Don't be afraid, don't be frightened child…I am your friend. I've come to give you a chance at a new life…a new _world_. Away from all these sounds, all these nightmares of what might be if you continue to stay here…in this place; going down the path you are, your destiny will capture and detain you like a prisoner, dragging you along until finally death takes you. Leisurely, excruciatingly—'

But I knew…oh, I knew this was no voice to listen to. Deep down in my gut, I got a feeling that told me to stay in bed, and to ignore this voice, to make sure that whatever I did, never to listen, never to do what it asked. Never to answer with optimism or a happy consciousness. So, knowing that it was for the best, and thinking that there really wasn't anything there that could hurt me, I pulled the quilt back up to my chin, closed my eyes, and began to slip into a less fitful sleep as a warming presence crept over my skin.

I didn't know what or who it might've been telling me that everything was alright, that I was safe, all I knew was that her voice—_their_ voices; there had been two feminine, reassuring, safe-to-trust-sounding voices—had gotten me through that first night away from my family. And I'd learn that those voices would be getting me through many nights away from my family. I had only one day until I learned that.

Never, ever in my life had I been happier to see the sun come up over the horizon, and settle comfortably in the sky than that next morning. Or, I would've been happy to see it. It was hidden by gray and black rain clouds that cried pellets and bombs and grenades of rain that pounded on me from all sides as I ran as fast as I possibly could to the hospital in the same clothes I'd worn yesterday (I'd been too tired and wound up in my mental worries to undress and change into pajamas or at least different clothes, and I was still shaken up by the monster and malicious voice of last night's events. You wouldn't want to change clothes either if you thought some kind of murderer was gonna jump out of your closet and slit your throat.).

I didn't hear any screams of unknown pain when I approached the hospital; still nothing when I slammed through the revolving doors that you had the option of using. I'd always hated using them; they were so slow, and it took too much force to get them to get the heck out of your way. But I saw them first, and took them as the way in for today.

Knowing that it was practically impossible that my parents and brother could've just stopped screaming out of absolutely nowhere seemed like a miracle to me. I was almost giddy with happiness as I ran to my mother's room first, hoping with all my heart and soul to see her tender, sleeping face awaken and smile with a warm, welcoming cheerfulness when she saw me.

When I came to the door to her room, a nurse tried to stop me, but I didn't listen, didn't care. I just pushed by her and dashed inside, both nurses that had seen me go in hot on my tail trying to explain something 'difficult to put into words' to me as I moved inside. I was too full of hope, too hopped up on wishful joy to listen to either of them.

Until I saw that empty, neatly made bed. No Mum. My mother wasn't there.

At first I just thought it was some kind of mistake. I assumed that she'd woken from her spasms and sudden, abnormally-repetitive half-comas, had made the bed, and gone to go see Dad and…and…_Why can't I remember _otouto_'s name? Why am I so incapable of knowing my own brother anymore?_

I ran from the room, shoving with a polite force past the nurses who tried to grab my arm and make me listen to them as they tried to explain the same story again and again, but they weren't fast enough, and by the time they caught up, I'd already made it to my father's hospital room. My hope was fading. I recalled thinking, 'Please be there Mum, please…please be visiting Dad'

I choked on my own tightening throat; he wasn't there. Neither of them was. Now, I could only hope that they were both okay, that they were either with my brother, or in surgery…at the same time. I knew how doubtful it was, I knew how desperate my thoughts were becoming, but I couldn't stop them. I couldn't help it; I felt dead without some kind of hope, some kind of poor, daydream that maybe, just maybe, everything would be okay like I knew it was supposed to be.

I had one last option, one last place to check: My brother's room. There was no other place I could go myself to look for their faces, search for their presence. If I couldn't find them, if no one told me where they were without me having a mental breakdown in the doorway, I'd have to just cave and ask one of those nurses following me through the facility as I ran where they were now.

But I didn't. Not yet; I had to look for myself first, I just had to know, had to see with my own pale green eyes that they _were_ there. They _were_ okay. They would _always be okay_. See, and convince my mind that they _weren't _what my head and heart were telling me they were. My soul was the only thing left that said I could still find them alive. In my brother's room. Around his bed. Waiting for me.

I came like a bullet through the door, hope streaming out through my pores and mixing with the rain that was continually dripping from my dark hair and cold, white-with fear and worry skin onto the dead-white tiled floor. If a hospital was supposed to save people from dying, why did they have to have it smell full of the decay that came to pry at your bones, skin, and organs, the scent that signaled death that it was time to show up and take this person from the world they shouldn't be leaving. Why couldn't it smell like life, like the first smell a baby encounters when they come into the world?

But that hope had a perfectly good reason to be leaving me along with the dampness that was starting to make me shiver slightly. Although, the chilled-feeling wasn't the only thing making me shudder: I could feel that monster coming for me again, I could sense the voice searching for my mind…waiting for me to be all alone again…and strike fear throughout me until I crumbled. Until nothing was left but my shattered psyche, waiting to be taken up and molded like clay into a monster all my own.

Mum, Dad, and my baby brother weren't there. Just another bed. Just the smell that I never wanted to be able to smell on my brother, my mother, or my father: fatality. But it was there, and it infiltrated my nostrils, stung my throat, and burning like fire in my lungs until I thought I was going to pass out, or get lung cancer from the smoke coating me from the inside out.

I fell to my knees, the sound of the thud replaced by thunder splitting through the air when my bones hit the floor. Lightning rushed across the sky just outside the window, the bright light watching me in sadness as I fell to pieces on the floor. Diminishing onto my face to feel the cold floor take on the tears that I'd tried to hold in, all of the drops that fell now mixing with the shattered hope-water that was making the floor slick and slippery.

Wind spread powerfully through a tree's empty, dead branches outside the room, the tips of the wood reaching up and stroking the glass, as if to ask it I would let the air in to comfort me, but I resisted the urge, and stayed there, broken, sore, and scared on the floor. I could feel the earth trembling with grief beneath me, as if even it hadn't wanted this to happen either.

A heated fire of anger towards this place, all these people that I knew could've done something to help all of them, but they didn't. Human error wasn't the problem, it was just people themselves. This fire inside me was hot enough to burn down this whole building, to melt the tiles on the floor that felt colder than iced over steel.

But even though I was smoldering in a rage that I couldn't explain, my soul was becoming chilled from the inside out. It was like an unmelting ice was crossing over me like a glacier, turning my anger to a bitter, desperate, fury that I didn't understand, couldn't feel enough to control. It was as if a darkness, a wickedness was passing over and through me, something was changing me from the inside out, but it wasn't like those two feminine voices. It was deeper, darker, deadlier, less controllable…_stronger_. I didn't understand; why was I feeling this way all of a sudden?

The nurses just stood behind me with their hands over their mouths at how I, a girl they thought to be so unshakable, a kid they thought might be able to handle it when this day came, shattering into millions of pieces right there before them on the floor. I doubted that they'd known this would happen, or, at least thought that maybe I'd have been smart enough to know Mum, Dad, and _otouto_, with the status that they were in, didn't have much time left in the first place.

Sure, it had been a thought in my mind. I'd wondered about what was going to happen to all of us if one of more of them didn't get better like I'd been hoping they would. I hadn't wanted to imagine what it would feel like for this to happen though; I didn't think I'd be able to truly recreate what the senses and sorrow would be like. So I hadn't, I didn't prepare myself; so, this was what if felt like.

One of the two nurses tried to tell me that this had been what they had wanted to explain to me in the first place: They'd wanted me to know that someone had come in late last night, said that when they checked on my family, they'd passed on, and that they'd already moved the bodies to the autopsy rooms to find exactly what had killed them, what had made them scream. But they'd never shown up there, and now no one knew exactly what had happened with them.

Anger replenished within my pain-sodden body as I opened my tear-ridden eyes and focused them on a very satisfied Ranamon. I snarled and let out a growl, or at least tried to; it was too heavy with half-sobs to really tell. I sounded more like I was crying out of pain, not because I'd started remembering things about my past I'd tried so _chikushou_ hard to forget. I shouldn't be so depressed right now; I should be kicking Ranamon's _oshiri_ for ripping on Seraphimon like she had!

I reached into my pocket to grab my D-Tector and spirit-evolve to Wereraiomon to fight her—I wanted to use that attack. I didn't care if using it once would make me completely vulnerable for the rest of the battle. If I didn't miss, I might be able to delete her, and then we'd never have to struggle against the Water Warrior's forces anymore. "You'll pay for what you've said! I'll make you pay…"

Shuffling around for a couple of minutes in my right pocket, I put my other hand in my left pocket, thinking that maybe I'd misplaced it. _But I always put it in my right pocket…the verres are always in my left…_I was right; the verres _were_ there. But no D-Tector. Balling my fists—maybe if I just took everything out, I might find it—I yanked both of them out of my pockets.

Nothing but air and the verres; no D-Tector to speak of. I placed the verres back in my pocket quickly; I didn't know what they might mean to Ranamon and/or Mercurymon, so, it was best that neither saw them. But that didn't really matter to me right now. Where the hell was my D-Tector?!

Even though I knew it wasn't there, I dug my hands back in my pockets and searched with my fingers for the sleek surface of it anyways. If Ranamon and Mercurymon thought I'd just put it in my pocket, but it had just gotten stuck or something, they might get caught up in a conversation about how stupid I was or something. That might take a while to end.

"Lookin' for this little thing are you Sugar?" Ranamon called in a happy little Southern I-hate-you-and-this-is-the-most-progressive-thing-I've-done-since-cannned-soup-ha-ha voice that I didn't quite get. But I didn't care about the fact that she sounded like a frickin' dying raccoon (and looked like one too); my eyes widened when I noticed my D-Tector in her creepily built pale cerulean hand. _Why does everyone keep taking that chikushou thing?!? And how does everyone keep getting it out of my chikushou pocket?!_

I knew that the last time I'd lost my D-Tector, I'd nearly lost Koji. And had lost Garu. But neither of them were here; I didn't need it. She could keep the thing for all I cared. I didn't need my beast spirit; I could barely control the thing anyways. Growling, I raised my head high and shouted, "Keep the _chikushou_ thing you _subeta_! You and that walking _yaro_-mirror can have it!"

Crossing the beams of data, I evolved to Raveamon and rushed at them. No sword, no nothing; I just felt like tearing something apart with my bare hands today, and I couldn't do that as a human, or I would've. If I got back to the others sometime soon while I was still in a mood like this, maybe I could rip Zoe's leg off and bash her over the head a couple of times with it or something.

As I slashed my talons across Mercurymon's metallic face, I instantaneously regretted it. Not only did it hurt like hell when he slammed a big metal fist into my side sending me pretty much flying, but I'd forgotten how horrendous the sound of nails on glass had sounded. I remembered now.

I hit the ground hard and with a grunt that fully showed my pain and discomfort in this laying position on the dirt. I wasn't used to be on the ground in my human spirit's form; I didn't use it very much anymore because of my beast spirit, though I could barely control myself right now with this one.

I struggled to get back up and fight them; one measly punch from a guy with a not-so-pointy pointy head that you could see shaking a toaster up and down shouting, 'How do you work this stupid thing?!' couldn't and shouldn't have been enough to beat me. If it couldn't beat the frickin' bread, how could it fight a Digimon made to defend?

Letting out a bit of a roar and making another attempt to punch at least one of them, I jumped to my feet, still without a sword and finally starting to wonder if it would be a good idea to get it before I got impaled by something. But I didn't think about it fast enough, nor did I move quick enough to get out of the way of said attack, or effectively place mine.

My fist slammed into Ranamon's face fast enough to be able to uncurl and give me time to slash my talons across her face. I skittered back as she let out a prissy little sound that told me that she was now pissed off. I was sure of it when she shouted at me while pointing and wagging her finger like she was thinking about flipping me off but wasn't quite sure of herself, "Why you little rat!"

Now seemed like the appropriate time to piss her off. So, faking a Southern accent for the hell of it, I shouted back with the same mimicking hand movements, "Why you _ijiwaru_ _busu_!" Of course I didn't give a crap about what that thing looked like, but I could tell by the way she carried herself that she was one to care, and this would be a _big_ offensive statement to her. And that put me in a revenge-and-rage-centered, high spirited attitude for a couple of swift moments.

Yup, that sent her off the cliff big time. "What?! Why you…you…" She was either so filled with rage that she couldn't even find the words to get past her blue-ish, angry-red face, or she just didn't wanna talk to me anymore…Never mind, first one. Ranamon pointed at me again, that middle finger still tempted to shoot up and flip me off. "Oh, who cares what you are! Draining Rain!"

Knowing that fragment was supposed to be the name of some kind of weather-based attack, I looked up to the sky, just awaiting whatever she was summoning to come and take me out. But all I saw was that same black cloud that had been there since Weregarumon had passed on from my arms. Was it really…following me?

However, my attention was brought back to what was kinda happening at the moment when a completely different gray cloud appeared just above me and all around the view of the sky above me. I was expecting the rain that came tumbling down from them, but I wasn't expecting the instantaneous draining to come during and right after the water touched and slid down my skin and armor.

First, I could barely move my legs to get out from underneath the downpour; they felt like Jell-o, and I had to look down to see if they were still there or not. After checking if they'd completely disintegrated from beneath me, everything went downhill from there. Literally. My bones and muscles seemed to disappear from my legs, making me crumble to my knees, and finally topple over, landing face first in the mud as I de-spirit-evolved.

And all this because I didn't think through my anger and make some kind of 'game plan' for fighting them. Mercurymon was clearly stronger, and he hadn't done anything to help Ranamon beat me like this except land on top of me when I tried to get away from him. And that guy's really heavy too; he should get some kind of calorie-repellent metal to recreate himself with or something.

"Thy spirit is valiantly sagacious," Mercurymon said to me as he and Ranamon began to approach me despite the fact that the rain was still pounding me rapidly. I hoped that they would take a few steps too far so I could try to drag them into the water; if I was weak because of it, maybe it would make them fall down too. Then maybe I'd get another chance to think, and get away. "However the rest of you is anything and everything except that!

"Dost thou recognize as accurate, little Digi-hybrid, that thou art some kind of savior to this world? Thy soul is of the deepest black conceivable; it will take only one boulder to give a free rein to that revulsion upon the globe, and that marble is just subsequent you. Why take on the true vocation of Lord Cherubimon thyself when the time cometh, and not beseech the assistance of factual redeemers while existence is still at hand to you?"

Mercurymon's tone was sardonic, his lips that looked more like misplaced lipstick prints moving when the non-understandable words fell out of his mouth, pelting me along with the rain while Ranamon just stood slightly behind him to watch me squirm away from them like a worm trapped on a stone. I had to prove him wrong; I knew I was no hero. But who else was there, really?

"They say that a hero can save us; I'm not gonna stand here and wait. When there's no hero in sight, what the hell is everyone supposed to do? Just stand and wait for the hit to come and take them? Well, do as they may, but I won't…" I forced strength to will me back onto my hands and knees, but my head still hung limply. I didn't have enough to hold it up and look at them.

I swallowed before trying to continue; Ranamon seemed surprised that I was starting to get some strength back despite the water that was still taking power from me. "I'll keep running, walking, crawling…and fighting until I can hear heaven, but they won't be able to hear me, 'cause I don't belong there after all I've been the fault of. But that doesn't mean anything to me. I'd rather got to hell then stand here and watch as people who don't know how to be a hero tries to save themselves from demise.

"Teaching isn't something I know how to do, buthelping this place and the people and Digimon in it is worth trying to imitate what a hero's supposed to look like when they make a stand, what they do to make something of themselves! I didn't think JP or Tommy, or even Zoe really were really like Legendary Warriors should be, but I can see them changing. And I've gotta help that strong change of heart continue if this world is ever going to return to the splendor I can feel it once was.

"Altogether, we're so much more powerful than a _yaro _like you could ever wish you were!" I could sense the feeling of strength returning to the rest of my muscles; no more could I feel the cold rain dribbling down my skin. Raising my head, and finally getting to my feet, I balled my fists and told him, my voice unwavering and rock-solid, "Kick us down, we'll get back up. Threaten us, and we'll come after you. If they can't…I will!"

I tried to get the data that always appeared when I spirit-evolved to show up and wreath like the light from a fire in the distance, but no matter how hard I tried, it just wouldn't. I still didn't have the physical stability to evolve yet. The rain had drained me enough to make trying to do that useless. But I gave it a shot a couple of times nevertheless.

So, being the _baka_ I am but not trying to notice, I strived with a great deal of effort to move forward as swiftly as I could when I was drenched in rainwater and mud, and when I still could barely feel my legs at all. I tried to slam a fist into Mercurymon's stomach—or, at least where I kinda had to figure it was—but did more damage to myself than anything else.

Recoiling with my now in pain hand wrapped up in my other, I stumbled back onto the wet ground; the rain had stopped, and I could feel the mud on the ground and on my clothes beginning to harden. Still clutching my left hand in my right, I stared up at a smugly grinning Mercurymon. I could see he didn't give a rat's _oshiri_ about my little speech, but then again, I hadn't even known I felt that way about fighting, or about the others.

But there was time to think about that later, now, Mercurymon seemed to be plotting. However, what he did really didn't take that much thought or effort to do: Leaning down slightly to he could actually reach me as I sat on the ground, he swung an arm at me, and pretty much backhanded me across the face with his irony mirror arm-shield.

I fell back against the ground—moving a couple of feet to the right due to the force of the hit I might add—and covered my head with my hands as I lay on the ground on my stomach, my face buried in dirt and crushed grass. Squeezing my eyes shut as the agony started to creep across my body and head, I wished I hadn't tried that. What would it have done anyway?

But the past five and a half seconds were the past five and a half seconds, and I had to forget them. I would never learn if I let them linger over my head like all my past did; but that was something I'd never been good at. I'd forget passwords and codes and homework, but I could never forget what I really, truly wanted to. My family. My mistakes. My heartache. Everything.

I didn't know why I had a sudden urge to open my eyes, but the feeling came from deep within me, so I just had to. I allowed them to open slowly; if I moved too fast, Mercurymon might think I was getting up and whack me again, if that happened I would miss what I somehow knew I needed to see. And part of me said that if I didn't see it now, I'd have made a mistake, and there was no way to fix it.

Then I saw it: An almost quarter-sized little stone that sparkled just like metal had been spilled over it, making its sheen metallic in itself. It was stuck in the mud, half buried by the wet dirt—no one would've been able to see it if they hadn't been close to the ground, or looking for it.

Maybe it had broken off of a Digimon's horns, or maybe a bit of their armor. But somehow, half of me knew much better. This, was a verre; and by the looks of it…the verre of Steel. How I knew this…I had no idea. But I knew that there was nothing else it could be, and it made sense.

Trying to move my hand as slowly as possible as not to be detected, I urged my arm on towards the shiny stone. My fingers traced the dirt, mud, and trampled grass beneath them as my hand crawled along the ground, dragging the rest of my arm along with it as I steadily approached this new, sparkly verre.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw a different gleam: Mercurymon. He was moving up to me again, bending over vaguely again. _Is he gonna hit me again? Or, is he after the verre…? And how the hell did he get back up in the first place?!_ Not caring what the answer was going to be for any of those questions, and knowing I'd be hurt either way, I made a quick lunge with my fist for the verre. As soon as it was wrapped up in my fist, I pulled both arms underneath me to grip it. He wasn't going to get it; but, what would happen if he did?

But I was pulled from my wondering thought when I heard that voice. It had that dark feeling like the voice from my nightmares, but somehow…now it was lighter, not as deep. More...warm…friendlier…a tone a brother would have when his sibling is crying, and he's trying to talk to them about why they're sad. However, this voice wasn't saying the words a concerned brother would. At least not words of comfort to a little kid. "Get away from Toku, you backstabber! I told you to stay away and let me handle her!"

I heard what I thought for a moment was Vigomon's voice, although it was somehow sounded more…animal-like, like…a big cat or something for example. I flinched as the sound of clunking metal and a cry from Ranamon petrified my ears. Sure, it was better them than me for now, but…if I was being beaten by them, even though I'd been acting stupid, what was so powerful and so fast that neither of them could even get an attack in? Or, had they even needed to? Was this some kind of…ally to them?

I shuddered when there was a sudden silence; where was that other Digimon that stopped both of the Legendary Warriors from coming any closer to me? It sounded ever so slightly like Vigomon. What if it was? Would he try to hurt me too, try to take the verres that I'd gotten so far away from me? What did he want now?

The soft footfalls of a four-legged creature steadily grew louder as something came up to me. The sound of small rocks and pebbles echoed to my ears as they skidded away under the padded feet. _A beast spirit. It's gotta be his beast spirit. Vigomon must've found his beast spirit…Okay Wereraiomon's spirit; I take back what I said about not needing you. Where are you, and my D-Tector?_ When you start talking to pretty much inanimate objects, you know you're a bit more than desperate.

But my D-Tector wasn't gonna come flying out of nowhere; Ranamon still had it, and Vigomon must've told her and Mercurymon to get lost when he slammed into the them. I heard the sounds of a de-spirit-evolution, and immediately began to shiver uncontrollably; Vigomon wanted to kill a defenseless enemy in a painful way with his human spirit. How pleasant.

My eyes snapped open with confusion and attempt-hidden fear as I was lifted up off of the ground, and turned over to face the sky. I would've tried to run or kick or get away from him, if only I could feel my legs anymore anyway. But my legs felt like melting Jell-O, and the rest of me felt dead, so, that wasn't gonna be happening for a while.

I layed there in Vigomon's arms in a completely stupefied half-slumber, trying to figure out why the hell he wasn't trying to kill me. I calmed into more of that sleep-walking state as Vigomon spoke again, this time not in agitated fighting words, but this time with the words of a sibling; why was he talking to me in such a way? "It's alright Toku, be still. I promise, I'm not going to hurt you,"

Suddenly he laughed; a sweet, beautiful sound that I'd never have guessed could come out of a creature that had once sucked the plain life out of me. It also felt somehow familiar to my ears, like I'd heard this kind of a perfect, gentle laugh before. Then I realized, and my eyes stung with tears of remorseful feelings: My brother had laughed just like that. How could this Digimon—a being of such power and evil desires and actions—have my brother's laugh?

Then a strange hope that I'd never known I could feel for this kind of a purpose rekindled as if my soul and inner being were transforming to embers within me. It felt just like the kind of hope that I'd gotten just before I rushed through the doors of a different room my family had been in while at the hospital—without the sudden half-self-death that awaited as soon as I beheld what was—or, wasn't—inside the room. I and my life had become like an empty cocoon as soon as that hope had disappeared, seeming never to return.

Until—somehow, someway—now.

"Who are you?" I asked quickly, my eyes wide and threatening to fill with happy tears if what I thought was really right and my voice quivering suddenly. All the fear I'd once had for this Digimon that could easily crush me right now if he wanted had faded like a flash of lightning. I had a theory, and it made joyous hope no longer seem like an idiot's idea; it was a long shot, but what else could I really go on? "Who are you, really?"

A confused look crossed Vigomon's somehow softer, and…more _childlike_ featured face at my question. He knew I knew his name; he was probably wondering what else I could be talking about. He was. "What do you mean? Do I remind you of someone? Bring back old, half forgotten memories perhaps?"

Almost immediately he seemed to regret asking; I could see it in his face: His eyes suddenly became slightly clouded with a very small hint of sadness, like there was more to this then he was letting on, and his mouth ceased its slight curve of a laugh and replaced it with a small shape of a frown. "I…_Gomen nasai_...I can see that it may not be something you'd really want to talk about, especially not to someone who's tried to harm you so many times, but…please, see that I'm not that way. I never wanted to be. It felt like waking up one day, and here I was in eyes that aren't mine, and a body that I can't believe I'm in. But, even if I can't explain who I am or why I'm here without confusing you beyond what a normal person's brain can hold, I can tell you something I've actually been meaning to. Your family…died; is that what you've been told?"

How we got from who he was to me, to who I was and what he had to tell and/or explain to me, I had no idea. But this seemed just as important, so, even though I was completely unaware of where this was supposed to be going or what this question had to do with anything, I nodded. "Yes, they are. Why does it matter to you, and how do you know about my past anyways?"

"Toku—" _That name. I haven't been called that since…Ugh, I can't even remember! Why can't I remember anything about my brother, or that boy with the blue hat?! _"—why shouldn't I know you? Why shouldn't I be concerned about how you're dealing with the passing of ou—your family? And going by what happened yesterday, with your actions and what you were thinking about avoiding your friends…It gets hard not to wonder if you were ready to come here in the first place.

"But then again, I suppose you weren't the one in control of this. You aren't the one trying to get rid of the Digital World, but you will be one of them if you don't figure yourself out. Or at least ask for help, you should know by being told so many times—like you've been told many things that you've never decided to listen to many times—that help is worth the slight shame of asking for. You'll regret not asking for it when you're sent to be on your own. Don't believe it if you want, but with the way you're starting—and planning—on acting, it won't take long before you start forcing Liko and Daichi away too—"

"Wait," I interrupted momentarily; I hadn't wanted to, all that he was saying was pure and serenely settled into my ears and skull better than any teacher had ever been able to tutor me in something, and better than either of those nurses had explained what had happened with my family. But with how Vigomon was speaking, was he actually trying to say that my family…wasn't really…gone? "Who are you talking about—well, I kinda figured that you mean Zoe and JP and all them—but who're Liko and Daichi? I've never called anyone that, nor have I met anyone with those names. Who are they?"

"You call one…Koji, or at least I think that is him, I have never gotten a very close look to be able to tell them apart very well," Vigomon probably would've had a hand to his chin in a bit of a thinking position had he not still been carrying me along saddle-style as he walked, taking long strides as he moved along. I didn't know where he was taking me, but I didn't have the heart to ask; I didn't want this conversation to end. "That is Liko; the Legendary Warrior of Light. However, you haven't met Daichi yet—at least not really—so you wouldn't understand who he is quite yet."

I nodded, understanding his reasoning for the name, but not really getting why he'd made one for Koji and this other guy in the first place. It didn't seem like an evil mastermind to want to give a name like that to anyone really. And then with him calling me Toku. Had he gotten hit really hard over the head and gone soft or something, or was this who he'd always supposed to have been?

Touching my forehead with the palm of my hand, I could still feel the bump on my head from Sorcerymon and his stupid gay wand. It was still a bit tender, but was already starting to numb and the swelling was going down by now. At least he hadn't tried to whack my head off like Seraphimon. But I owed both of them for what they had done though: Seraphimon had told me a couple of things that I'd kinda wanted to know, and Sorcerymon hadn't completely killed me or anyone else. What else could you really ask for?

But despite everything that Vigomon probably wanted and had to tell me, I didn't want to talk anymore. Right now I just wanted everything to settle in more suitably so I could understand it, and the best way I'd learned to have things do that was to sleep until you thought it might be sorted out. Dreams helped—well, helped me at least—to figure a couple of things out. Math problems: I wish. Nearly everything else: Hell yeah, it was almost like having a book with answers that were put into the form of a colorful, descriptive little story.

On the other hand, Vigomon was still here, and he'd already been on my enemies' side for so long; how was I really to know if this was the real him, that this wasn't just some scam so he could get me to Cherubimon and claim all the credit himself? He still wasn't trustworthy, whether I had a strange feeling of relative-remembrance because of him or not.

Almost as if he could read minds like I could—specifically mine right now—Vigomon looked at me with those suddenly and surprisingly gentle, serene-sending scarlet eyes—eyes that were just like Raveamon's; actually, if you really thought about it and looked at him, Vigomon looked more like Raveamon than he did any other enemy I'd fought before. With another one of those brother-like smiles, he said to me, his voice writhing in a peaceful happiness, "You should trust me Toku; that's all I'm asking for. If you want to sleep, I'll get you to where you want to go without any kind of an incident. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise, you can trust me."

I stared into his eyes for a little while longer, struggling to keep mine open. They still held that soft, brotherly glow I didn't understand, but wanted to make me smile anyway. It reminded me of my own brother, but he and Vigomon were completely different, yet alike.

Letting my head fall limply into the curve of his arm, I tried to close my eyes and at least sleep for a minute. Something to give me a chance to take everything in, heal, and just get a bit of myself back. I couldn't toss and turn while in someone's arms, and I couldn't fall asleep even if I could and did. But I'd been through seemingly sleepless nights before, and I knew what worked for me.

Opening my mouth enough for the words to be able to echo out softly, my vocal utters began to mix with the silence that had settled around the Digital forests. " As I leave here today—apartment 108—I'll always keep you in my heart. Anderson is cold tonight; the leaves are scattered on the ground. I miss the seasons…and the comfort of your smile. Sometimes this all feels like a dream. I'm waiting for someone just to wake me up…from this life.

" As I look out at these fairgrounds, I remember how our family split apart. I don't think I ever told you, but I know you always did your best. And the hard times…they only made us stronger! And as I sit here all alone, I wonder how I'm supposed to carry on…when you're gone…

" I'll never be the same without you; I love you more than you will ever know. So maybe now you finally know: Sometimes we're helpless and alone, but you can't let it keep you weighted down! You must go on…

" Do you ever feel like crying? Do you ever feel like giving up? I raise my hands up towards the sky; I say this prayer for you tonight…Because nothing is impossible. And as I sit here all alone, I wonder how I'm suppose to carry on…when you're gone… " I'll never be the same without you; I love you more than you will ever know. So maybe now you finally know: Sometimes we're helpless and alone, but you can't let it keep you weighted down…You must go on… "

I couldn't really remember anything after that; it all just seemed to go blank. Not in a bad way, like I'd been attacked or something and had passed out again, just like how it felt to fall asleep. Just that really long blinking feeling, where you barely even notice until you wake up. But sleeping never really mattered; it was what happened around you and in your head while you did.

_I wanted to cry out, but I couldn't even do that anymore—it hurt too much to even move my mouth. The cold, solid-feeling rain pounded with deserved hatred and punishing pain against my cuts and scratches, my bruises and nearly shattered bones. But why was I bleeding? I was a Digimon, and they didn't have blood. What was starting to become of me?_

_Slamming into the ground again, but much harder this time, I lay on my aching back as I stared up at the gloomy, rain cloud-gray sky as the falling water began to pitter-patter on my somehow blood-stained armor. But even though my pain was beginning to cast a shroud over my mind, I was able to thing and wonder and ask myself questions anyway. _

_Where were the Ten? I was able to get them to leave me here in this steadily breaking mess, but had I been able to hold Lucemon off for the length of time that they'd needed to get away? Or hadn't I restricted him long enough? All I really knew was that he'd sure had enough time to nearly destroy me. I could feel my data already trying to break through my flesh and reveal itself to anything that would want it. _

_I was going to die alone: It didn't bother me at all. The Ten would have no one else to spare for the rest of the fight with Lucemon, no one else to take a shot for them if they needed a second or two to recover a bit: I was shivering I was so afraid of the Digital World, and their lives, being in peril because of my doing. _

_But AncientSphinxmon had promised me once that he was sure everything would turn out alright. He'd even promised. He and AncientGarurumon had been the most troublesome when trying to get them to leave. In the end, I'd screamed at them to get out of here after being shot up into the air by Lucemon's powerful, yet somehow very strange kick-hit that I could sense had shattered my ribs. Armor was nothing to Lucemon; it was just like you had covered yourself with dead, brittle leaves. _

_Trying to swallow, but getting nothing but the taste of bile and blood—blood being a ghastly one I wasn't used to at all—spilling into my mouth like waterfall tumbles upon rocks forever below it. I tried to spit all of it out, but I could barely turn my head, and didn't want to degrade myself to having it cover my whole face, so I forced myself to swallow the ghastly mixture, and nearly choked on it all in the process. _

_I couldn't do anything but lay here and wait for death now; my data would just erupt out of me even faster if I moved or tried to get up and find something or someone to help. Then I felt it: A pulse through the Digital World's ground, and this was nothing caused by the verres—knowing that the Ten would need all the power they could get to fight Lucemon, I'd made sure to return the correct one to each Warrior. _

_The whole Terminal seemed to be quivering with a hidden anticipation to see what was about to happen to me; my own body was shivering with the same sensations. Pain racked my body again and again as the wet dust shook harder and harder, each time I felt it, I could sense the added force. This was no earthquake._

_I heard the wind rush past my ears, moving as if it was all being drained from the Digital World's atmosphere. But I knew better, and I smiled; that kind of hastening sound only meant one thing when the air had no reason to do that. That echo came whenever a very prevailing Digimon had been erased from the Digital World's face forever. They'd been able to succeed; the Ten had done what they'd stood up among many to do. They had beaten Lucemon, and now, after so long, he was finally gone._

_But then softer whistles of breezes glided remorsefully past me, tossing my black hair with an almost playful sorrow, just how AncientGreymon gleefully would every now and then when there'd been no fighting, and when he'd been in a more so serene and calm mood. Such a thing did not happen very often. _

_A volley of frozen shivers coursed down my pain-ridden spine as I lay there in the cold, sticky mud. But these were no ordinary, I'm-freezing-here trembles. I got these kinds of sensations whenever AncientGarurumon and AncientSphinxmon were somewhere they didn't want me to be, or a place I wasn't able to follow them to. _

_This made what had happened to all members of the Ten all the easier to figure out. I closed my crimson, blood-shot eyes as they filled with something that they hadn't beheld in a very long time: Tears. Pain racked not only my body now, but also my heart, and my soul. I would've tried to embrace the pain into leaving, but I couldn't move at all. I could only lay here in the mud, strange blood, and depression._

_They'd given their lives to take away Lucemon's: The noblest death anything or anyone could have. At the very least I wanted to smile, but then again, I just wanted to sob even more. But I held the pathetic blubbering in—it would hurt my ribcage and chest too much even to suck in air for that. I knew it would, you figure a lot of things out when you can barely breathe at all. _

_Then I felt something. I wasn't sure what I sensed in the air, but it wasn't a cloud, or just a passer-by-Digimon. It was some kind of disturbance, but I really didn't understand. I opened my eyes wide when I not only felt it, but heard it: A rasping, deadly breathing like choking, but forever alive. A thing that could never be satisfied with its own rightful death—it had to go on and be the cause of many others before it was contented with its own._

_I heard something like the cry of a raging owl coming in for the strike-and-steal of a raven's life when the flash of scarlet-tinted, deep russet wings that clinked with the sound of broken chains with every strenuously powerful beat. The sight of purely soot-black eyes—like a shark's, but even more dead—fluttered above me as the creature hovered, one hand out as if waiting for something to appear. The eyes, however dark they were, sparkled like two dying stars before the smoke-like clouds that had finally stopped their crying for the deceased Ten._

_But then a long, black, sharpened walking stick appeared out of the air particles next to her feathered and taloned palm. She gripped it like a spear, and threw it down at me just like one too. It came fast, it passed through me with ease, and the pain didn't feel like anything different than what I'd already gone through to get here. _

_That was all the encouragement my data needed to try and reveal itself, but I held it in. I let out a croak of a pained moan as my body lifted itself up into the air. I'd only watched one Digimon pass on before, and I'd never forget the look on Baiirmon's face when he finally did: For whatever reason, he'd smiled. Maybe to reassure me everything would turn out alright in the world, but I couldn't be sure. That was what I'd always liked about Baiirmon; you could never read him like a book. You had to get to know him first. _

_He hadn't gone against the laws of gravity when he passed on, but I was willing myself to. I had a reason to be doing this; if that owl-seeming Digimon tried to attack and destroy me, she would try it out on anyone and anything. It was only my duty to take on the role of demise on a creature like this. _

_Moving into a vertical-ish position in the sky just before the creature I could sense in my numb body, I faced her. I could feel her presence in more ways than just detecting her miserable darkness, but it was as if this thing was part of someone even more important, like this desolation was connected to another living being in another place. But how could such a thing be?_

_Raising my arm, palm facing the monstrosity before me, despite the agony it caused me, I held it there, forcing all the strength I had into my hand for one last assail. This was the most life-stakingly forceful strike I could ever conjure, but I would do anything to save that other being from bringing this thing upon herself. _

_I paused for a slight moment; who was this person I was thinking of? How did I know that this was a 'her' I was talking about anyway? But shaking my head, I passed on the questions; maybe I'd learn in the afterlife I had no idea was truly there or not. AncientSphinxmon had always told me he thought there was a heaven inside all of us, just waiting for the time to bring us there. That was the place we would wait in until we saw our friends again, and it was truly heaven._

_"You have no business taking what has never, and will never become yours, and I will not wilt away with the knowledge that there is a human out there that you have the ability to take over!" I told the bird-demon as an orb of bright data-encased power enveloped my hand just like always. It actually felt good to dismiss the pain for a while, although it always came right back. Even though I barely understood how I knew anything of this person; apparently I knew a human without having met one in my life before. "Essence Chain!"_

_Just like every other time I used this attack, I could feel my data racing around inside me, curling, and intertwining with other strands as locks and chains and links formed within me before pulsing out of my light-encased hand. The data-chains struck the owl Digimon hot as lava, and still white with that same heat; they wrapped around her, coiling and locking without even a thought from my fogging mind._

_I could feel it now: The draining that took place after the opponent or opponents around me were completely restrained. Not only need they be unable to move, but they couldn't be able to be accessed by any other able-to-aid-them Digimon that I didn't have the strength to fight anymore. But this was the best I could do now, and that was all anyone could ask for when I was in this much pain, and this alone. _

_The creature screeched as the dark sky opened up to swallow her. Imprisonment in the clouds was the truly difficult and strength-sapping part of this beset. I strained to hold back screams of my current suffering as the clouds began to open into a circular parting that showed the black sky above them. The Digimon that had sent that darkly-shaded spear into me to finally end my life kept up on its screeching as the entrance into the eternal prison drew her in like a young Digimon would handle a breakable, precious object._

_As soon as the thing was gone, forever taken from me and anyone else—or so I could only hope—I fell back against the air that was still holding me up, and I let out a sigh that killed me inside. There was nothing left to fight; there was nothing left to do but die, and see the Ten again. If AncientSphinxmon was right—he almost always was—they would be waiting for me with open arms, and warm, lively smiles._

_But something caught the corner of my eye just before I could allow myself to finally pass on. It was some kind of…cut in the horizon's skyline. First a white, blank image in the sky before me…then color came…and I knew why I had to take that Digimon away, and why I knew who that person had been. One word came to mind as a plan I'd never known I'd had started to come into my mind._

_"Huh? A…a DigiDestined?"—_

My eyes opened slowly, the sunlight burning my vision as soon as I did; moving a hand to cover my gaze, I looked around and noticed that Vigomon was still carrying me even though by now I could quite easily was walk on my own. I took that thought about me walking without his help back when I glanced down and noticed that he was walking on frickin' water. How the hell this happened, or how he could do this, I wasn't exactly sure.

I was about to ask if he could kinda sorta explain how he could do this and no one else I knew could, but he cut me off with a slight beam as he…well, pretty much said 'Good morning star shine, the earth says 'Hello!'' (I could see Vigomon as the Willy Wonka guy in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. If Grumblemon was the Oompa Loompas, why not?), "I can see you're rested as much as you can be for now, I hope so anyway. You've been having a rough couple of days. I worry about you sometimes Toku."

I smiled grimly, my mind still feeling a bit fogged up from being asleep for what I could only assume had been for a long time. That and I was trying to figure out my newest dream about AncientRaiafemon, and what that meant. "You're starting to sound like my little brother again, Vigomon. And I just don't get it."

I felt a bit more awake when I heard him chuckle light-heartedly; I wasn't sure about any of what I was starting to think inside, but it was worth the shot, and here I was already aiming. Even if I didn't get an answer, saying it would help me remember to ask Bokomon. "Vigomon, can I ask you a question? It's very important that I do."

The smile stayed on his face, but it lingered a bit with the thought of me actually having something to say he might be able to answer. I could see in his similar-to-Raveamon's eyes that he was wondering, but also that he planned to wait until I asked it. "What can I tell you?"

I twisted my gaze and focused in on him; a steady expression of pain was starting to cross his features that confused me, but I couldn't ask about that. I needed to know if I was the only human that could be half 'n half with a Digimon. "Is it possible that a Digimon other than an Ancient could take a person into the Digital World…and make them into a Digimon of their very own? No D-Tector or anything, just…a Digimon? No more human essence at all. Is that impossible, or isn't it?"

The beaming aura fled his face in an instant, and was replaced by a slightly darker, concentrating and contemplating expression. I could see that he was either having trouble figuring out what to say, or how to say it to me. Something pricked and prodded around inside me that made me figure that it was just how to say it. He knew exactly what I meant by this. I wanted to know if it was possible my family could've been transformed into Digimon that followed Cherubimon, and probably Lucemon.

Silence covered both of us as he continued to think my question over and over in his mind, turning it over, unscrewing it, and rebuilding it until an answer or at least some kind of a reply came. But it didn't show up very fast, and I took that as a sign that this wasn't going to be as simply put as I'd hoped it would've been.

Finally he said, even his voice drowning in his unsure emotions and thoughts, "I'm not very sure how to explain Toku, but the only way I can put it is slightly confusing to say the very least. But you've always been the vividly minded one, maybe you will understand. After all, being with the spirits you have, you've got a lot you need to take on in not a lot of time.

" I hold my breath as this life starts to take its toll. I hide behind a smile as this perfect plan unfolds. But, oh God, I feel like I've been lied to. Lost all faith in the things I have achieved. And I…

" I've woken now to find myself in the shadows of all I have created. I, I'm longing to be lost in you…Away from this place I have made…Won't you take me away from me?

" Crawling through this world as disease flows through my veins. I look into myself, but my own heart has been changed. I can't go on like this…I loathe all I've become.

" I've woken now to find myself in the shadows of all I have created. I, I'm longing to be lost in you…Away from this place I have made…Won't you take me away from me?

" Lost in a dying world…I reach for something more…I have grown so weary of this lie I live...

" I've woken now to find myself in the shadows of all I have created. I, I'm longing to be lost in you…I…I have woken now to find myself…I'm lost in shadows of my own…I'm longing to be lost in you…Away from me… "

Lost in the words and the sounds of his voice, I just lay there still in his tender vice-grip as he now continued with a thought-filled silence over the water. I could only take those words as a, 'I'm not sure, but I have a feeling that there is a way Cherubimon could've taken your parents and brother. But that doesn't mean I know where they are; don't you think I would've told you by now if I did? Well, maybe not, but you never do know, now do you?'

"Do you understand?" Vigomon broke the quiet once more, and with only three words that came just as perfectly hushed and peace-missing as I could see by his now gloomy eyes he felt. But those few words were all that was needed to make my brain start humming and spinning and cranking over and over again as I thought about how to explain that I did, but then again, I really didn't.

In the end, just to take it easy on Vigomon for a little while, despite all he'd done to harm me; I nodded with a forced half-smile. Trying to make my voice at least a bit hopeful for my parents' and brother's lives—which honestly wasn't too hard to fake—I replied to him, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I do."

"Did your brother know when you were lying?" I was struck by the question as if it were a child of lightning. Looking Vigomon in the eyes again, I wondered what he could mean by that. Then I noticed something: The farther into the past I asked him to go, the more his eyes shone like my brother's, and the more he wanted to know about him. I didn't get it, but the actions and scenes kindled my flaming hopes nevertheless.

I looked away from him, now deep in thought myself; I'd never wondered if otouto could tell if I was ever lying. If he had, he'd never really mentioned anything, not that he really would get the courage to speak out against his older sister anyway. But I could barely remember how he'd been around me anyway, all I knew was that he was my little brother, always would be, and that I should recall more than what I did. But I didn't, and there really wasn't anything I, or anyone else could do to change that.

"I wouldn't know," I told him finally, after a few minutes of some silent pondering of my own. I'd been trying to think for weeks of what questions I would ask someone about everything in the world, why what had happened had occurred, anything I could think of, but now that I had the opportunity, all of those questions seemed so…unimportant compared to Rowloamon, AncientRaiafemon, and my family's possible whereabouts. "I never really thought to ask him about it…"

With that answer now in his mind, Vigomon nodded with a patient quietness, and returned to his own mental calculations and thoughts, with which he wasn't planning on concerning me. I didn't really mind; I had other things of my own accord to be thinking over and wondering about. One of which was, and it seemed to come up in my mentally-made questions quite often: Where are the others, and are they okay wherever they are?

"Don't worry Toku," Surprised to hear Vigomon talking again, I looked up at him as he continued to speak in that clear, brightly majestic and wonderful voice that could transform into something of a rare, beautiful laughter, or a monstrosity of a snarl. "I can feel their presence here, under the water. They're safe, and I'm taking you to them.

"Do you see that island, right over there?" Taking one arm from underneath me—which forced me to either fall to gravity's effects, or readjust my position—he pointed over to a piece of tree-dipped beaches that seemed to be just floating there in the middle of a never-ending ocean. For all I knew, that could be all the land around for miles—I'd been passed out when he'd reached the water (however he did), and I'd still been out cold by the time we got here. So, he could've taken a jet plane halfway here and I'd have never even noticed. Thought, I doubted you could easily find one of those in this insanity-causing place.

"Yeah," Now in a sitting position, I swung a hand up to shield my eyes from the sun; if Vigomon thought they would show up here, maybe I would be able to see them from here. I saw a cloud, more waves that seemed to pass right through both Vigomon and me, but no Takuya, no Koji, and no anyone else. The fact that Koji was nowhere to be seen made me quite sad inside. "Is that where they're supposed to be? 'Cause if you hadn't noticed, they really aren't there."

"Yes, I am quite certain that is where they will be in a few moments or so. Don't worry; I know what I'm doing, and exactly where I am going. There is nothing you need to know or do except wait to get there." Vigomon told me with a reassuringly kind and gentle smile that only made me grow a bit antsy about the others. What if they weren't with a Digimon that was like Vigomon?

I leaned back against Vigomon's right shoulder as he continued to walk over the water; the fact he could do that bugged me enough to want to ask. "How the hell can you do that without sinking? It's physically impossible—then again, there's a lot of things that are impossible in general in this world—but you're the first one I've seen do anything like _this_." Vigomon laughed when I gestured to the water with multiple waves of my arms, nearly toppling into the water doing so.

"I can do anything you can do Toku; I fly if you can, and if you are able to walk on the water, I can too." Vigomon replied softly, his words sounding like something out of a book about how to be a copy-cat towards the nearest person to your right (not the way his voice sounded, but the similes themselves). But this was more than just mimicking some unlucky soul; this was actual things that made a real difference in the world. Not all people—me being one of them (apparently as far as I knew)—could walk on water, or fly if it made any difference in this problem at all.

The puzzled and thinking-kinda-hurts-ya-know expression on my face made Vigomon laugh slightly as he realized something I figured he was going to start explaining to me. Yup, that's exactly what he planned to do, and he was happy about it. I could tell. "You didn't know you could walk on water, did you Toku?"

I gave him a funny look, one that asked, 'And you thought what now?' and shook my head, clearly saying that I couldn't, and doubted I ever had been, or ever would be able to do such a thing. But the glint in his eye made me reconsider it, and begin to mentally sound like Seraphimon; if the verres could do things to protect me and make my strikes more powerful, maybe they could give my spirits some kind of power of their very own. Was walking on water one of them?

I would've made a couple other comments about this subject, and maybe given Vigomon a quick Science lesson on the fact that people did not float—well, sorta—and they sunk, that's why they drowned so often, but by the time I'd finally figured out something clever and sort of scientifically-correct-sounding, Vigomon had already reached the island. Coming up a fair ways from the edge of the water, he set me on my feet on the clean, light caramel sand-dirt. I didn't know why he'd decided to carry me the whole frickin' way here, but it was a bit late to ask to walk and test out the whole water thing now.

He set me down with a worried tension; for a moment I thought it was because he wasn't sure if my legs were still drained of their energy from Ranamon's attack, but I figured out soon after that that was far from the cause of his anxiousness. I could see it in his eyes: The only reason he'd been able to come and save me was by momentarily defeating the darkness that had taken over him. It wasn't down for the count; it would just come back every time.

"Toshiku—" _This is the first time he said my actual name; he must really be frightened to want to make me listen. _"I don't have the time to give you a whole book about everything that's going to happen in the future, but I can tell you a few thi—" Pain erupted through my heart when he broke off his sentences with an ear-deafening scream. _No…It…it can't be…I know that shriek…_I didn't know to believe my ears or not, to give into my insane hopes or not. But whatever I felt, thought, or believed was all I had to go by, and I had no other choices but to stick with them.

"Brother! _Otouto_!" I shouted at the top of my lungs as some kind of invisible-to-my-eyes force began to pull Vigomon away from me, and out into the air over the ocean's waters again. "Hear me brother! Who are you! Please, tell me before it's too late for me to know at all!"

But Vigomon only withheld his screams for a moment, only enough to be able to tell me a few things, and even then, it wasn't what I really wanted to hear right now. "Toku…your mind isn't ready for what I have to explain to you; it just…seems that it isn't yet the time…Take care of the Ten, and watch your soul. You never know when Cherubimon might send his demons to steal it from you—"

With those final half-sentence words, he was cut off with another nerve-rattling yell that sent tears hurtling into my eyes like wrecking balls, but I blinked them back and replaced them instead with rage toward Cherubimon for doing this. I couldn't see any other reason for Vigomon to act this much like _otouto_ than this: He was my little brother; I hoped to _Kamisama_ that he wasn't, but it was an inescapable thought.

I ran forward, a hand outstretched to him. Tears blurred my visions, but I batted them away again. "No! Brother! Come back, take my hand, let me save you from Cherubimon! Please…" I dropped to my knees, that arm still outstretched, my fingers, hand, all of my body ready to do whatever it took to get Vigomon back.

I was about to shout something else to him, but I wasn't fast enough, and soon his screams were drowned out from my ears, and he was taken somewhere else by a bright flash. All that was left was the air he'd last been in, but even then it looked just the same as everything else. Nothing was different except the feel of it; it was happy—he'd tried to smile at me before the flash I knew had to be Cherubimon took him away from me again.

I stared over the waves and at the clump of puffy white clouds at the exact spot Vigomon had been, like I was expecting him to come back once more. But I knew better. Letting my fist drop to the sand like a lead weight, squeezing my eyes shut, and the tears tripping and falling down from my eyes to the dry dirt, I knew that it was practically impossible for Vigomon to remember this day at all when I saw him again. Cherubimon would do anything possible to erase it from his memory.

When I forced my eyes to open so I could get up and just keep walking, hopefully finding Koji and the others in the meantime, I did all I could to hold back a gasp. There was my D-Tector, sitting right there in the sand before my eyes. How long had it been there? How did it get there…Vigomon must've gotten it from Ranamon before he came and helped me get back up that long while ago.

I began to pick up the device to return it to my pocket, but when I did, I felt something that wasn't supposed to be there: a leathery strip of fabric, frayed at the edges slightly. I gave it a pull, thinking that it had to be just some kind of a fluke, maybe a part of Vigomon's armor padding that was hanging loose or something.

But it wasn't anything I'd been expecting at all. It was a collar, a black leather collar with a strange-feeling surface that made me feel very different inside when I touched it. Something told me that this had something else to do with the verres; something about…keeping them together in more ways than one so each power could easily be accessed and connected to my nervous system and veins, combining both my own will and strength to the power they held within their makeup. I had no idea where this was coming from, but I had to admit, it was starting to become pretty helpful.

I took it in both hands, and after looking it over for a minute, strapped it on around my neck. I was surprised and shocked when a sudden almost strangling feeling crept over my throat, but it soon passed away, and I figured it was just because I'd have to get used to this thing.

Pressing on each individual verre—it took at least twenty minutes just to figure out how to get them on there in the first place—I finally stood up, getting a sudden head rush almost immediately from whatever felt like almost making me fall down again. But at last I was able to stand, and felt every fiber of my being becoming pretty much super-charged with the confident feeling that the verres always gave me when they touched my skin.

I didn't get it, but it was just as if I was with everyone else even if I was alone; being by them always gave me a courage I didn't really have, it was just something I made up so I wouldn't be frightened again, or ever again. That night alone was all I needed to never want to be afraid again, and I'd make sure I kept the others from fear as well.

Feeling that chill from the night before cross and spring across my skin again, I turned and faced the sky again; it was there again. Rowloamon was still hot on my trail; nothing was going to stop her until I figured out what in _Kamisama_'s name she wanted with me or the others in the first place. I couldn't keep the others from fearing something like that unless they never even noticed it was there. Koji'd come close, but I'd been able to evade him until the event had sunken lower than he wanted to retrieve it from.

That courage and faked-bravery flamed up inside me, fanning throughout my whole body until I was smoldering with the anger of everything again. I had no doubt that Rowloamon had been the one to make Cherubimon aware of Vigomon's moment of betrayal to him, and that she had been the one to drive that spear through AncientRaiafemon. I would make her pay for everything she'd done, no matter what it took.

I would avenge both of them, and anything or anyone else she had troubled, hurt, murdered.

Taking a few steps forward, I let my voice start out small and harmonized, but soon my emotions made it grow, and by the end of everything I was shouting with such force my throat pretty much gave out on me for the rest of the day. Not that I would find the others all in one day, I doubted I'd be that lucky.

Clenching my fists, I listened to the wind, and adjusted my voice enough so that the breezes and waves would carry it in the direction of the blackened clouds. I didn't want there to be any chance that she would miss what I was saying. " Hear me…You gotta be out there. You gotta be somewhere. Wherever you are…I'm waiting. 'Cause there are these night when I sing myself to sleep. And I'm hoping my dreams bring you close to me…Are you listening?

" Hear me. I'm crying out; I'm ready now. Turn my world upside-down. Find me. I'm lost inside the crowd, it's getting loud. I need you to see, I'm screaming for you to please…Hear me! Can you hear me…?

" I used to be scared of letting someone in, but it gets so lonely being on my own…With no one to talk to, and no one to hold me. I'm not always strong; oh I need to hear…Are you listening?!

" Hear me! I'm crying out; I'm ready now! Turn my world upside-down! Find me! I'm lost inside the crowd, it's getting loud! I need you to see, I'm screaming for you to please…Hear me!

" I'm restless and wild! I fall, but I try! I need someone to understand! Can you hear me? I'm lost in my thoughts! And baby I've fought for all that I've got! Can you hear me?!

" Hear me! I'm crying out; I'm ready now! Turn my world upside-down! Find me! I'm lost inside the crowd, it's getting loud! I need you to see, I'm screaming for you to please…Hear me!

" Hear me! Hear me! Hear me! Can you hear me?! Hear me! Hear me! Hear me! Can you hear me?! Hear me…Hear me…Hear me… "

By the end of everything, my throat felt completely fried; I tried to say something else, but all I really got out was just a couple of croaks that sounded more like broken machinery than anything else. I knew it would just take a bit of time, and I'd be able to get louder than ever, but for now, I pretty much sprained my throat.

But I'd gotten out what I'd wanted to, and there wasn't really anything else inside that could piss me off in three seconds flat, so, I would be alright until Zoe talked to me. Or JP did something so incredibly stupid a crab would've been able to outsmart him. Or if Tommy went all-out gay-pervert on Koji, this time doing something other than just staring at his _oshiri_.

_Speaking of KojKoj…_I allowed myself to avert my gaze for the mass of black clouds, focus on the bright blue sky to my right, the sandy ground below me, and the tall, lively palm trees all around me. This was a beautiful place, and there was no better scene to find Koji in. _Just think of it,_ I thought to myself. _Koji with the wet look…Okay, think all you want about that angel of yours, but don't start drooling—Never mind._


	17. Chapter 15: Missing

**...Wow...Took over a month to finish this thing...just...just...wow. I hope you guys liked it; hopefully it was worth such a long wait. And I know I cut out like, over two thirds of the episode, but don't worry, I'll find a way to sort everything into 16. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 15: Missing

Walking along on the beach, I started to realize how much I missed the others. I mean sure, I'd only been away from them for about a day or so, but I couldn't help it. I missed them all the more whenever I thought about it. Sure, most of them could and did get on my nerves and drove me to wanting to murder 'em, but they each had certain little qualities that I needed to stay sane (don't know how that works, but it does).

Although, I didn't want to lie to myself all the time, and this was one of those times where I just couldn't. Nothing made sense if I lied to myself about this kind of a thing. It only sounded right if I talked about it the way that it really was. And there was only one thing—one person—that would make anything this sappy sound right.

The only one keeping me from flat-out attacking some of the others was Koji. And some days I couldn't help but wonder how he did it, 'cause I sure as hell didn't know. Was it the fact he smelled just like blueberries? Nah, no matter how spiffy that was, him smelling like fruit wasn't exactly a factor in being able to keep me from mauling Zoe or JP. Or Tommy. Stupid little always-staring-at-Koji's-_oshiri_ pervert…

Maybe it was just that Koji was the first one that didn't try to hug the life out of me, didn't always annoy the _kuso_ out of me every frickin' day. Could it just be because _I_ was the one chasing after _him_ all this time, instead of one of the others racing after me all the time? Was it that after all the time it took to get him right where I wanted him…it just hurt too much to think of him being anywhere else?

I gulped; yeah, that was it alright. I wanted to get off that subject as fast as possible; it did hurt a lot to think about that. But I couldn't help it; _chikushou_ one-track mind, _chikushou_ curiosity. I wondered what I would do if I ever lost Koji, if he ever left to go somewhere he just wouldn't let me follow. Like what happened with AncientRaiafemon and the Ten.

AncientRaiafemon…well, she'd seemed okay in that dream I'd had when Vigomon had advised I should get some rest. I mean, not okay, okay, but…not…completely…shattered or anything…Not like throwing a punch at a mirror just to see it crack and break, and to see the mark it leaves on your fist, the drips of blood doing so leaves on the floor. It wasn't like she was driving the spear even farther into herself, just to feel more pain, to die faster so she wouldn't have to remember how it felt to have misery anymore. In death, there was no more pain, but I knew nothing about a heaven or a hell. Just…no more agonies.

_At least I know Mum, Dad, and otouto aren't hurting anymore like they were back in that place…I hope I never have to see that building again…And I never ever want to see the faces of those people there again…_I walked in an almost dream-like trance, my feet lifting themselves as if they were encased in two lead blocks. I wasn't dragging them, they just felt…heavy, lifeless, in my thoughts they felt that way. I shrugged off the feeling of my feeling-less feet and just kept walking onwards; it wasn't like I was going to stop because they felt a little different to me than what was usual.

Besides, even if I'd wanted to stop at all, though it was an option, it wasn't something I was even going to consider as an option at all anyway. The only thing I could choose to do right now was to keep walking and see if Vigomon was lying about the others being here on this little island. If I was lucky…I might find them. If not, which was the better guess, they wouldn't be here, and Vigomon would appear out of nowhere and attack me, despite how he'd been acting. There was a better chance that he'd been told by Cherubimon or some Digimon that had been in my head how my brother had used to act before he died.

But I didn't want to think about Vigomon, or my brother again, at least not right now. I'd pondered about them enough for one day; if I thought about what had happened to him one more time, I was pretty sure I was either going to get caught into their screaming, or I was going to explode. Shaking my head, I brought up any kind of lyric that I could remember, and just started to sing it. Anything to keep my mind from focusing on the past again. And I smiled when I finally found something to start singing about. " It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart. Without saying a word, you can light up the dark. Try as I may, I could never explain what I hear when you don't say a thing…

" The smile on your face lets me know that you need me. There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me. The touch of your hand says you'll catch me wherever I fall. You say it best, when you say nothing at all.

" All day long I can hear people talking out loud. But when you hold me near, you drown out the crowd. Old Mr. Webster could never define what's being said between your heart and mine…

" The smile on your face lets me know that you need me. There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me. The touch of your hand says you'll catch me wherever I fall. You say it best, when you say nothing at all.

" The smile on your face lets me know that you need me. There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me. The touch of your hand says you'll catch me wherever I fall. You say it best, when you say nothing at all— "

A loud, smack-like splash of the water echoed out around the area and filled the still air up to the brim with the sounds waves. I stopped in mid-step and listened; I needed to hear if there was going to be anything else. For all I knew, that could be Vigomon or one of the others of the Three trying to psyche me out; they may be trying to make me turn around and look behind me with paranoia and then strike me down, paralyze me with pain. Or one of them could really be standing behind me, making me think that they were just trying to mess with my mind, and when I began forward again they would attack.

But as I listened, my tense muscles beginning to make me shiver and shake with my fear of the unknown all around me, I heard a voice that, despite how very, very annoying it could be, was like music to my straining ears now. "_Ciao_ Whamon!" _Out of all the group I could hear, why do I need to hear _that_ one? Why can't I hear the perverted little oshiri-stare-er or something? _

But one of the Warriors was one of the Warriors, I suppose it didn't really matter if I heard the Annoying Lavender Wonder, or Sally the Salamander. Or the Big-Hat-Wearing Pervert We All Know and Hate When He Stares At Koji—_Shimatta! How could I freakin' forget! Somebody punch me! I'll have Neemon do it!_ Before I knew what else I was doing, or even thinking of doing, I found myself running straight through a bush, my legs getting caught simultaneously and making me go crashing down. _The London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down. The London Bridge is falling down, my dear lady. Muko Tommy, now I freakin' know that song._

I got up awkwardly from the ground, but not really hesitating at all to flip off the bush that tripped me, though with the way I'd twisted the branches when I fell made it seem like it was giving the gesture right back at me. If I hadn't been on a beeline in Koji's general direction, I would've probably attacked the thing. _That_ would not have been a new one quite honestly.

I escaped from the clutches of the evil, in-my-head-it-was-demon-possessed bush and from the escapade of trees that seemed to be on the same side as the bush since they were all in the whole vegetation/foliage category and everything. But they didn't try anything smart_oshiri_-ish like the bush had. Finally there was hardly any stray grass underfoot at all, and it was mainly just sand-dusted rock; all of the segments seemed to have their own diagonal slope, one of which decided to make me slip and fall into the water. Things here just seemed to hate me.

Coming up out of the water, I spat at least a gallon of it out of my mouth before flipping my screwed-for-life black hair out of my face before yanking myself back up onto the little cliff-thingy I'd fallen off of. My shoes made a freaky squishing sound when I stood back up, probably because they, along with the rest of me, were now waterlogged. But I didn't care; I had Koji on the brain, and that blocks out _everything_.

I struggled to run in flooded shoes, but I managed well enough and without any face plants into the ground (Oh yeah! New record!). Usually when I had something in my shoe besides my foot (Well, duh.) it took forever for me to actually get used to it being there. But then again, Koji on the brain. You just zone out everything but him, and it works pretty effectively. It was a domination I could welcome with a happy squeal and a padlock-hug.

My feet began to move swiftly from the rocky beach to the sudden advance of grass again, and now, I knew exactly where I was heading. As I broke out of the trees' hiding places, I dropped to my knees, and crawled forward slowly on my stomach over the rocks. I stopped and crouched lowly behind a little overhang of the sloping rocks; keeping close to the ground and out of sight, I snuck a glance over the rocks and saw exactly who I'd been hoping to find: Koji, and he was the closest one to the rock I was hiding behind too.

I jumped back up onto my feet with attempted silence, though the only sounds made by me were that of pebbles skirting out from under my shoes and the swishing that the sand I moved over made. I sprinted forward, leaping like a sugar-high frog over the boulders, and dashed over to Koji—I mean, who wouldn't?

I pounced on him, wrapping my arms around his neck and hugging him from behind. I laughed a little bit, hysterically joyful to see Koji again; I buried my face in his sensitive neck and smiled as my face began to grow warm and turn light scarlet, his long flowiful hair tickling my face. It was surprising how happy I could be when I'd been so depressed for so long, with only a caterpillar I named Koichi there to talk to, but suddenly there was someone in my life now that made me feel better than high all the time.

Suddenly I felt Koji's hand unexpectedly grab hold of mine, and before I knew what was happening, I felt my arm being strained and pulled. Then I was on my back…the ground…like a freakin' turtle. _…Ummm…What the hell did I miss?_ I lay there in a very awkward position on the ground, and just blinked up at a now obviously confused Koji.

"…Toshiku?" He exclaimed with clear surprise covering his face and a tone that said, 'Crap, I just flipped my girlfriend. Man, is she gonna be _pissed_'. The new tenor nearly made me laugh; Koji hadn't flipped me over his shoulder like he did to Takuya that one time he really pissed Koji off, and besides, Koji hadn't used that voice before. It was freakin' hilarious when added with his expression. "Where did you come from? I thought the other Warriors had you? And why exactly are you all wet?"

"Koji! Hi!" I practically shouted even though he was in a crouched position above me. _Just like how we were back when I first kissed him…_ I reached up with a grin and tugged on his bangs, gesturing him to come closer. My beet red face was the perfect disguise; Koji would suspect I wanted to kiss him on the cheek or something and embarrass him in front of the others again—I did want to, but not right now. _"I need to say something very important KojKoj!"_

Koji raised an eyebrow at the tugging of his hair, and made a very annoyed groaning sound, but he relented after another couple of tugs and leaned down, his face a fiery red hue because of the others' mystifyingly freaky snickering. _"…What can you say now that you can't say out loud? 'Cause you say a lot of stuff you should keep to yourself out loud you know."_

I simply grinned again at his little comment; I felt like I was high, and I knew for certain that I was acting like it too. I hoped Koji didn't think I got a hit from one of the evil Warriors or something. I reached up higher, and curled Koji's sleek long hair around my fingers. It was so soft, like a handful of perfectly pure cotton; I'd never met nor seen anything before with hair that could come close to rivaling Koji's. But I wanted to see exactly what Koji's hair would look like…if it wasn't in the ponytail.

Releasing my fingers from around Koji's hair, I caught a grasp of his hair band and gave it a swift but tender tug. It came out easily, and Koji's usually-held-back hair fell to adorn his shoulders with a soft sound. I grinned devilishly, and with extreme pride for being the only one to be curious about what Koji would look like without his hair up in a ponytail, and I sure as hell liked what I saw. But Koji reacted quickly as soon as he saw the band in my hand.

He lunged at my wrist to try to grab the hair band back as I leapt out from underneath him and tried to sprint away, but that didn't work out so well, especially since Koji grabbed my ankle and I fell down. But I was just laying there on my stomach just laughing my frickin' head off, I could barely breathe and I could feel my face heating up. Rolling onto my back and sitting up to look at the heaven-sent-angel-with-silky-coal-black-hair, I pointed at Koji and exclaimed, making Koji blush with self-consciousness, "Would ya look at cute little Puppy? Ain't he cute when he wants to kill me?"

"My dear Toshiku," Bokomon said, sounding completely bewildered with my sudden attitude change that only occurred once every blue-ish moon or so. I just sat there and beamed at the albino radish-headed Digimon, my face red as the vegetable he was from both laughing and blushing. "What has gotten into you?"

However, even though I had a perfectly good answer all ready to come out of the mouth I had that probably—according to Koji's point of view at the moment anyway—should've stayed closed till I could control myself again—which meant never again was I going to be able to open it while I was around Koji with his hair down—Zoe decided it would be a nice change of pace if her squeaky voice was the one pelting our ears. "You can't blame a girl for feeling good on such a beautiful day! Especially a girl who has her spirit back!" _…Wait…THE FREAKIN' BUTTERFLY CAME BACK? _

I stared up at Zoe, who was now holding her D-Tector up above her head while standing on the rock I'd actually hid behind—I wonder if she'd noticed…—with her hand on her hip like this one creepy guy I used to know who would always…strut his 'model walk' and bash his hip into anybody who came to close when he was walking like that…Zoe was worse. And Tommy was worse than both of them combined into some kind of freaky two-bodied mutant.

And of course, if Zoe had to annoyingly be the 'center of attention', then JP just had to make sure that he was standing next to her and say something of 'importance' while that was occurring…while also copying that same gay pose…at least Tommy wasn't doing it too. _Yeah, he's too busy drooling over Koji to busy himself with posing for the big gay photo album today._ "And let's not forget who has a beast spirit now!" _Wait, Buggy-Boy got a beast spirit?_

"Let's hear it for JP—" I knew Zoe was gonna start to say something that would make everybody but JP choke their last meal back up, and I hadn't had something to eat in a while, so I wanted to try to keep some kind of nourishment inside of me. If that meant making something up that Zoe might say about JP, then I would sink to such a level.

"The giant Bug-King of Happy-Buggy-Under-Ruggy-Land! And let's hear it for Zoe while we're at it, since we all know JP was plotting to add something about her anyways. Zoe, the Butterfly-Pixie-Fairy-GlitteryLikeEdwardCullen-Thingy-That's-Really-Creepy-And-Laverdery-But-Not-Spiffy-At-All-Like-Little-Puppy-Princess-Koji-Over-There—" I took in a long, very loud inhale of air before continuing again (Words of advice: Don't say anything that long really fast.). "And-I-Probably-Shouldn't-Have-Said-That-'Cause-I-Think-Koji-Mighta-Been-Listeni—"

I stopped when I suddenly felt that I was being turned around; I saw the long-haired, obviously pissed off, embarrassed Puppy-Angel standing next to me, one hand on my shoulder, but the other came towards me fast. I felt a pretty painful sting numb my face as his palm whacked my left cheek, then came right back over the right side of my face. I put a hand to my burning-with-both-pain-and-a-knowing-shame-at-how-I'd-just-been-acting face as I spoke quietly to Koji as the others laughed a bit at my words and began to walk along a trail leading back into the trees, "_Gomen nasai_, Kou, I guess I needed that—"

"You bet you did. I've never seen you act _that_ high before. Did you get a hit from Arbormon, or should I say, 'the Kool-Aid Man'?" Koji took his hands from my shoulders with a light smirk, his face still glowing brightly from all that I'd uncontrollably said. The smirk faded from his face just as quickly as it had come, maybe from remembering the little spat between Arbormon and me. I wondered if he'd seen me bleeding.

But I let the bad memories pass back out of my head; I couldn't ponder these kinds of things if they were going to make Koji sad. I could make myself depressed on my own time, not the time I spent with Koji. I snickered slightly as I added, "The Kool-Aid Man with the extendable/retractable hands, ya mean? Yeah, he hides all the crack JP sold him in the holes his blow-out hands make when they're flying away. I stole a couple, want one?"

Koji grinned with a hint of affection at me, giving me a slight punch in the shoulder and stealing a kiss from my numbing cheek as he told me with an utter truth to his tone, "There's something wrong with you, I know it, but I love it." I prodded him in the ribcage as part of my response; he squeaked, practically breaking out into a giggle-fit before jumping away from me so I couldn't do it again.

I laughed at Koji's irritated-at-my-obsession-of-tickling-him blushing face as I stated quite matter of factly, taking the wrist of his sleeve and yanking him along to catch up to the others—we always seemed to be the two that were always this far behind—, "You just flip my _Kamisama_-what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-you switch on and off like a light switch, that's all, my little Puppy."

I started to smirk with deviousness as Koji began to try and get me to knock off one of his little names. Even though this one actually made a fair amount of sense; his spirits were based off of wolves after all. "You've gotta stop calling me 'Puppy'. You know just as well as I do that I am no lapdog that you can tug along—being aware that what you're doing right now isn't the same thing—no matter what you may think because of my…uhh, brief schmaltzy flashes—"

"You mean your cuddly-snuggly moments? I love it when you get sucked into one of those! You're so cute when you suddenly just need somebody to come over and nuzzle with you. I knew I ran like Superman for a reason, I just didn't know it was for someone so spiffy!" I said with a laugh, knowing that probably wasn't at all what Koji wanted to hear. I didn't even need to look back and check to know that he was as red as a strawberry right now.

Koji grew silent for a little bit, but I wasn't very surprised. I would've gone quiet if somebody had been talking about me with all those fuzzy, cutesy words. I could tell he didn't appreciate that I was using them all in only a matter of a few seconds. "…About how many times a day does that usually happen to me—"

"Why? Do you feel one of your little moments coming on right now? 'Cause honestly that would be pretty frickin' awesome, Koji." I interrupted with haste, looking forward to an answer he would hate but I would flip out with indescribable happiness over. "If you do, you really gotta let me in on it before you suddenly don't feel the hugging-vibe anymore."

A loud, slightly irritated sigh escaped Koji's velvety lips, letting me know that now was the time to start bouncing up and down with glee because he was caving in to the hugging suggestion. In fact, I did just that as Koji started to confess that enjoyable defeat. "Do you _really_ want that hug—"

"Yes, Koji! With all my heart, yes—Why do you even need to ask?" I questioned him with a grin the size of Calcutta, a facial expression that I didn't get very often. The wicked smile returned to one that was slightly more normal for me to have when I got to hug Koji, and my face began to flush as I stopped bouncing up and down on my toes. Moving with a slow nervousness I wrapped my arms around Koji's tense, but firm and warm torso—I couldn't help but wanna see that six pack I could feel beneath Koji's shirt.

I pushed my head up gently underneath Koji's chin; I could feel his face heating up fast as his muscles started to relax into the tender affection. I actually sensed my own suddenly high nature beginning to simmer into a more calmed state. I sighed contentedly as Koji's arms wrapped around me with a gentleness it was hard to tell that he had, and he pressed his lips against my forehead for a moment in a soft kiss before saying, "I've always liked the way you hug. You're always so warm…just like a werewolf should be…"

"…Can I guess your favorite movie? I'm not going to wait for an answer because I'll get off track, but I'm pretty sure it's one of the Twilight-y things," I teased him as we let the embrace lessen before we separated. Koji scoffed at my accusation and started after the others again, but I didn't stop there. I followed after him and came up beside him as I continued, "So, you're saying I'm like Jacob, and you're my danger-prone, clumsy little Bella? At least I don't stare at you when you sleep like the eight-year-old-Edward-pervert—who I killed while in the Jacob vs. Edward mode, so I've got no one but Zoe/James to fight until you're all mine—maybe I used to glance over at you every now and then just to make sure you were okay and everything, but now I fall asleep before I can remember to check."

Koji gave me a strange look that was probably trying not to end up saying, '…I know you're not going to, but now would be a good time to get off of that Twilight subject before you get high on…apparently me again and I have to slap you in a way that Zoe doesn't'. But after a moment or two of silence between us, both Koji and I just started sending the freakiest faces we could think of at each other (Honestly I don't know how that started, it just kinda happened. And while I'm at it, I'm pretty sure if we were in a contest, Koji woulda won. Who knew he could wiggle his ears and do…_that_ with the rest of his face at the same time. And the way his now-free-from-the-hair-band hair twirled and swirled around his face in the wind just made it all the more…interesting. _That's _what I call multi-tasking.).

So I just walked alongside Koji trying hard not to let my laugher become any louder than it already was and make the others even more suspicious than they already were of how Koji and I were around one another. I knew that the others would torture me mercilessly one way or another if they ever learned how I truly felt about Koji, though it really was unmistakable, very clear to anyone who was to really observe me around Koji. An idiot could've figured it out. But had any of them pieced every little fragment of the structure of the heart inside me together enough to see such a feeling?

The perfect little moment was ruing quite easily by JP though, but I suppose if he didn't even really know about how fuzzy for Koji my heart was, he meant well. "You know, I can't help but notice that it's summer and _we're_ at a beach." I mentally rolled my eyes, but the same stupid smile that I had for practically no reason stayed hot glued to my face. _JP, you must really like pointing out that everybody else has just gotta be blind. And you can't even reach down to tie your own shoe. Seriously JP, that was freakin' hilarious when you fell down trying to tie your shoe standing up. I though I was gonna have a heart attack I was laughing so hard._

Zoe giggled and the grin left my face in a flash; she was really starting to bum me out, and I'd just gotten back from Ranamon and Mercurymon a couple of hours ago. _Man, she works fast._ As she spoke, I glanced over at the water and hoped that Ranamon would come and just shut her up for a little while, "I noticed that!"

_I did too, now will you shut up? You're really starting to screw with my once-a-year-when-you're-still-here mellow. And knowing how fast I get on zero-nerves-left with you, and how much you love to jump on the last one I have if I'm strong enough to even have one left during the rest of the day, pissing me off just isn't something you wanna do…Since you're still gonna end up talking anyways, I doubt we're on the same page. Piss me off all you want to, but I've got only one rule that you will follow at all costs: Stay. Away. From Koji. I swear to Kamisama that you will never be able to sleep without a nightmare torturing your weary mind if you cross that line._

I blinked for a moment, wondering how I'd gone from Zoe being annoying, to being afraid she might try to steal Koji. Why would I worry about that? It was so impossible, so unreal, and so stupid. Zoe wasn't Koji's kind of girl; he was intrigued by the ones that couldn't stop themselves from saying little sentimental things that they shouldn't openly say to their crush, that would be serious at all times and not show how they were inside until they knew for sure that that crush of theirs was someone they could try to share their life with. I'd gone through that with Koji; he was the best thing that had ever happened to me, that had ever made his way into my life. _…But am I the same for him? No, don't second guess yourself; that's what Zoe wants you to do. Trust Koji, he would never…he'd never do anything with Zoe. He's not that kind of guy._

I must've missed something, 'cause the next thing I know everybody's grinning really weird, and shouting 'summer vacation' all at once. Koji glanced over at me, my arguing-deep-within-myself-again expression making his own grinning face lessen to a concerned expression hidden behind his features. Noticing his sudden change in emotion, I quickly laughed off my own concerns and contemplations and thought of the first thing I knew would keep me occupied long enough until I could think by myself. _Koji with wet look…Koji with wet look, smooth skin and soft hair shiny with the moisture and the sunlight…—Dear Kamisama, bad idea! Wipe the spit off your face before Koji notices you started drooling, again, shimatta!_

I dragged the back of my hand across my mouth, removing any chance of Koji realizing I'd been drooling while fantasizing about him. Or, at least I wished he wouldn't have noticed. I glanced over at him to be sure, but, against my better wishes, he was raising an eyebrow at me—the emotional eyebrow strikes again. _"…Seriously? You're drooling—like a werewolf? What do you think about that makes you slobber like that anyway? You make yourself look like even more of an idiot when you do that, you know."_

_"I've realized that Koji, and thanks for that little comment right there, much obliged."_ I retaliated with a scowl in his direction; I couldn't help but wonder how odd it looked when Koji and I had mental conversations with each other. Could the others tell that something was going on between us by the ever-changing expressions on our faces as we gazed into each other's eyes, deep into the other's soul?

_"You're very welcome, my sick, sick little Tenshi." _Koji smirked devilishly at me, barely suppressing little giggles about what had been on my mind—scratch that, _who_, had been on my mind. _…Shimatta, I didn't know you could go back in time—I guess you could call it that—into the other's memories! Dang it, Koji! That's not fair! Lemme try! "…Is this really what you think about all hours of the day? Seriously? Kamisama, you're so sick when you think about me sometimes—"_

_"But Koji! It's either that or I maul Zoe for something I'll never let her go through with! And I'm pretty sure you'd rather I thought about a…umm, slick-with-ocean-water and shiny you than attack Zoe for no reason other than I'm afraid she might end up stealing you from within my arms…"_ I trailed off when I suddenly realized that I'd just spilled the heart-beans that Koji wasn't supposed to have been there to watch and hear clattering and splattering into the open. I hadn't meant for Koji to know that I was actually afraid of something Zoe had the ability to do; there was only one thing I could do now, and it sickened me to the point I thought I might retch: Lie to Koji, and try without thought of fail to cover up what I'd just said.

_"I-I-I didn't mean that, I-I was just kidding Koji! I just get a bit perverted like Tommy every now and then, that's all. I was just…just ripping on Zoe, I'll do that, you know I do that a lot. We just don't get along; us making cruel…jokes about each other goes hand-in-hand with that, ya know?"_ I looked hopefully over at Koji, having looked away while thinking of what to tell him, what to make up about what I'd actually meant. I wondered if he could tell that I was lying, if he could see that it actually hurt to do that to him. If he could see, then he wouldn't believe that I was telling the truth. _…But what do I really want him to do…?_

Koji gazed at me, a distant look in his eyes, obviously thinking very deeply, enough so that I was afraid to even lock eyes with him, let alone allow myself to listen in on what he was thinking over to himself. I closed my eyes and ran ahead, sending a quick excuse back that Koji might believe, just so he wouldn't think I was running from the conversation…Even though, in all truth, I was. "I think I saw something moving around up ahead; I gotta go check it out. Stay here and keep an eye on the others while I'm gone, Koji. I'll be right back—"

"Toshiku," I stopped slowly, allowing the group to pass by me again, continuing to list off all the things they thought made up the beach. JP was counting all the little sand particles that he saw. _…He's gonna be doing _that_ all day. Especially if he goes through the whole chikushou beach. _I stood in silenced fear as I hesitantly turned around halfway, being sure to keep my eyes away from Koji's lethally soul-opening gaze. The faults in my statements would come into Koji's light if I met his unbelievably, indescribably _azul _eyes.

"I know...that that's not what you said, or what you meant…" Koji trailed off for a moment as he approached me, steadily placing his right hand on my shoulder, squeezing comfortingly; but I felt nothing but anxiousness in his touch at the moment, nothing but a want to get away, and just drop the topic now. "..._Tenshi_, don't hide your eyes from me…Is there something you want to talk to me about? You don't usually try to lie to me…especially not when you mention Zoe like you did—"

"_Shimatta_, Koji!" I snarled, the words becoming mangled through my clenched jaws; it was as if, inside me, Wereraiomon was reacting in the same bad-tempered way. My fists were clenched at my sides, Koji's hand on my shoulder almost burning my skin through the fabric, like I was trying to make myself knock it off because all Koji wanted to do was help me, to punish myself with the pain until I learned better. "There's nothing to talk about! I have nothing to say to you now, or any other time concerning this, or Zoe for that matter! Even if I did have something to say, I don't want to talk about it! I have secrets I can't share; they're all a cross I have to bear alone! I—…Huh?"

I stopped talking and stood completely still and rigid as Koji's arms meandered around my neck, wrapping around me completely and pulling me back against the heat of his body. My fists were still clenched; my whole body shivering from a cold rage that was still only focused on something Zoe hadn't even done, but was haunting my mind like an unrelenting ghoul. It was beginning to lessen and fade as Koji's warmth began to melt the ice that had coated around my storming heart.

"You can't hide everything forever _Tenshi_, and sometimes, it's just not a good idea to keep things that you know are really important to yourself. Especially if it's something that scares you to the point you won't even relax for one day. Not that I'm eccentric about it though, but even I have to admit that we all need a day to just unwind and screw around with each other, at least for a little while," I could tell that Koji was grinning now, as I finally let my muscles loosen up, and he readjusted his position around me as I leaned against him, closing my eyes and resting my head just below the bridge of his shoulder. "And besides, I think you and I would both enjoy laying on the beach together. I know you well enough to know you'd like that, right?"

I curved my head back over his shoulder so I could look him in the eyes…his pretty, soulful eyes. Attempting to hold back a little grin at my own words and Koji's sweetly smiling face, I mumbled under my breath, yet loud enough for him to be able to hear me, "…You're terrible…"

Koji chuckled lightly and nuzzled the side of my face with his nose, tickling my ear with his hair—I still had his hair band encircling my wrist. _I think Koji's in one of his snuggly moods again. Wow, he's getting a lot of them today. This is gonna be a great day. I can feel it in ba-thump-boom of our hearts. _"Heh, and to think you still love me as much as you do. That's just incredible Toshiku, just incredible."

I grinned as I tugged on Koji's bangs again—I was loving that he couldn't stop me from playing with his hair since he couldn't put it back without his hair band. A song popped into my head that I would enjoy singing at the top of my freakin' lungs right now, but in fear of the group hearing, I kept it somewhat quiet. " I don't know but…I think I may be falling for you. Dropping so quickly— "

" Maybe I should keep this to myself, wait until I know you better. I am trying not to tell you, but I want to— " I was surprised when Koji started singing right along side me in…almost a little duet as we meandered our way, steadily and taking in each other's presence in our own, back to the group that had walked away counting all the sand they saw. But I smiled, and was in awe that Koji listened to the same stuff I did; that was actually kinda unexpected.

**Toshiku**: " I'm scared of what you'll say, so I'm hiding what I'm feeling. But I'm tired of holding this inside my head. I've been spending all my time just thinking 'bout ya. I don't know what to do…I think I'm falling for you— "

**Koji**: " I've been waiting all my life, and now I found ya— "

**Toshiku**: " I don't know what to do…I think I'm falling for you— "

**Koji**: " I'm falling for you~. As I'm standing here, and you hold my hand— "

**Toshiku**: " Pull me towards you, and we start to dance. All around us, I see nobody— "

**Koji**: " Here in silence, it's just you and me— "

**Toshiku**: " I'm trying not to tell you, but I want to— "

**Koji**: " I'm scared of what you'll say, so I'm hiding what I'm feeling. But I'm tried of holding thins inside my head. I've been spending all my time just thinking 'bout ya. I don't know what to do…I think I'm falling for you— "

**Toshiku**: " I've been waiting all my life, and now I found ya— "

**Koji**: " I don't know what to do…I think I'm falling for you— "

**Both**: "I'm falling for you~. Ooo, I just can't take it…My heart is racing…Emotions keep spinning out…~ I've been spending all my time just thinking 'bout ya. I don't know what to do…I think I'm falling for you. I've been waiting all my life, and now I found ya. I don't know what to do…I think I'm falling for you...I'm falling for you...~ "

**Toshiku**: " I think I'm falling for you. I can't stop thinking 'bout it. I want you all around me. And now I just can't hide it. I think I'm falling for you~ "

**Koji**: " I can't stop thinking 'bout it. I want you all around me. And now I just can't hide it. I think I'm falling for you...I'm falling for you...~ "

**Toshiku**: " Ooohh~ "

**Koji**: " Ooh, no, no~ "

**Toshiku**: " Oooooohhhhh~ "

**Both**: " Ooohh, I'm falling for ya… "

I smiled at a pink-cheeked Koji, who was beaming with a happy contentedness that was very rare on someone such as Koji. But it was one of the more pleasant rarities of the worlds of which we knew. I was glad that I was lucky enough to have been the one human destined to be with a being of such distinction as Koji. I'd never expected someone so wonderful to come along and fall for me, to someone so hollow inside.

Giving him a playfully hard punch in the shoulder, I dashed ahead and shouted with a gleeful tone back to Koji, "C'mon Princess, I'll race you to get back to the other Warriors. If you get there first, I'll give your hair band back. But if I get there before you, I get to keep it for the rest of the week, and I get to mess with your spiffy hair as much as I want to. Ready, set—Run, run, run!"

I took off sprinting at a near-Wereraiomon-lightning-fast speed, exhilarated by the fact that Koji couldn't back outta this if he ever wanted his hair to be hidden in a ponytail ever again. Otherwise I'd just have him arm wrestle with me to get it; couldn't help but wonder who'd come out on top in that one. Honestly, I was pretty sure Koji would win, if I didn't use my other hand.

I knew if I stopped to check how close Koji was to catching up to me—I'd kinda halfway cheated by starting off as I explained to him what we were going to do—I might lose, and then I would never get to play with Koji's hair and make it look all pretty. Not that it wasn't already pretty, but I could make it that much better. So I kept on running, but I was pretty sure I could hear his footsteps beginning to quicken as he gained on me.

Glancing slightly to the side, I could see Koji a few yards away from me, running with his hair flowing out behind him and twirling all over the place in the wind. I was about to smile, my face turning slightly pink at the image that now wouldn't cease its presence in my mind, when I hit something like an invisible brick wall there in my way. I fell back on the ground, the force being strong enough to give gravity the upper hand against me. I put a hand to my nose and mouth as I began to taste the salty-sweetness of blood on my tongue; when I took my hand away from my face, blood mixed with my saliva was there on my fingertips.

I looked up to see what I'd run into, but…nothing was there. _That you can see..._ Listening yet again to the voices in my head—one of these times they were gonna end up getting me killed or something, I could feel it in my toes—I looked around me, only seeing Koji having suddenly stopped when he saw me fall like I'd hit something, and was now sprinting over to me, a look that said he was afraid that the group I mentioned as 'The Three' were back again. Seeing nothing around me…I knew there was only one last thing that could be here by me to find. I was right; _she_ was there…the black cloud of Cherubimon's created darkness just resting in the sky directly above my head.

A pang of indescribable panic shot through my body like an overdose of heroin, hitting every part of my body; my blood ran cold, my heart just seemed to stop, frozen along with my blood, I stopped breathing as if I'd forgotten that you needed to, as if I no longer realized how to breathe in and out. I could feel those black eyes upon me now as Koji knelt beside me, shaking my shoulder. He said something, but I was in too much shock of the unknown enemy before me…or, around me…somewhere that I couldn't even see, to hear him. All I could hear was in my head, banging and banging around my mind like a little kid using pots and pans as a drum set: _Get Koji out of here before something happens that you can't decide to even try to control._

Without a word of warning, I grabbed Koji's wrist and yanked him off his knees and into a flat out run as quick as I could drag him while he was still on his feet. I knew I could hear him asked what I was doing, where I was taking him, what I was running like that for, because I hadn't done this before. I didn't want to answer him; Rowloamon had told me to keep her existence a secret under penalty of my friends' decease. I couldn't risk it, so I risked Koji's trust in me, and my own inner survival by hurting him in a place that couldn't heal. "Nothing Koji, just…nothing…"

We'd gotten back to everyone in less time than I'd first anticipated, and in a much different mood too. Bending over and resting my hands on my knees, I tried to catch my breath behind the group, even though a panting Koji was still trying to get me to talk to him about what had just occurred back there. But, obviously not wanting to alarm the others with our little spat, he was trying to figure out a way to connect our minds without my permission or want. I ignored his persistence until finally I could see he was growing much more than irritated with me, and the presence of my phobia towards Zoe recalled itself in my mind, and I let Koji in.

_"Shimatta Toshiku! Are you even listening to me? Man, sometimes you're so—"_

I cut Koji's little fit about me not paying any attention off from being as long as it had the expected potential to be. I didn't want him to be angry or in a bad mood by any means, I just didn't want to talk about this; if that meant lying to keep him from knowing something that might eventually be his downfall, his death, then I would lie to him. This had to qualify as one of those times. _"Koji. Calm down a bit; I'm listening."_

Koji went silent for a moment, probably wondering how much of his little ranting I'd actually heard or not, but knowing it would be a waste of both of our time if he went back over all of it just so I knew how agitated he was with my 'it's nothing's and not-sure-if-he-actually-knows-it's-not-the-truth lies. Finally he spoke, and his voice showed that he was obviously a bit less ruffled, _"Toshiku…tell me what really happened. What were you making us run away from—"_

_"It. Was. Nothing. Koji. Now just drop it!" _I snapped at him, casting a glare up at his stricken-with-surprise-at-my-outburst facial expression, an unexpected rage beginning to seep through my pores…holding the hand of a hating soul. My whole body shook with the feeling of them both within me, skipping around like little school boys and girls at play within my whirring mind and quintessence. I didn't know what to do to make it all stop; I never wanted to fall into hating Koji, that…that was impossible for anyone to do.

But Koji's quick, eager to get me to confess what I'd been hiding lately reply just made it harder and harder for me to hold back from tapping into the strength of that anger and hate that was burrowing its way deeper and deeper underneath my skin into my inner core. _"That wasn't nothing, Toshiku. I know it wasn't; don't lie to me. I know exactly when you are, don't think I don't. And Toshiku, if it really was nothing, you wouldn't have had us do that, you wouldn't have run away from whatever that thing was like a scared little girl—"_

I could no longer keep the rage under my lock and key within like I normally could; it was as if something besides my own will was tapping into my actions, making me do everything I could to push Koji away until he couldn't even stand to be by me anymore. It all started when I straightened myself, and sent a punch at Koji's face. But I felt enough restraint within me to remember how I would, forever and always, feel about Koji, and how if I really did feel that for him, I could be strong enough to stop myself. My fist halted only centimeters from his face before I realized that I'd intentionally punched from too far away; I knew I never would've had the nerve to hit Koji like that.

I hoped I was right about my restraint and my nerves as I averted my eyes from Koji and quietly repressed the forgiveness that wasn't even going to come from him anyway. I glowered, its presence on my expression evident in my snarling tone, but didn't look directly at Koji as I grumbled, _"…Be careful of what you say, Koji Minamoto. Or next time, I might not be able to contain myself from taking that preciousness deep within you, and my deepest darkness from tainting your light…"_

Inwardly gasping with horror at what I'd really just said, I glanced over at Koji, trying to make it unnoticeable; I needed to see how he reacted to that in more ways than just the sudden silence of his mind. Hot tears came to my eyes as I saw Koji: He'd taken a few steps away from me, his face contorted into something of hopeful-misunderstanding and a…a _fear_…there in his eyes…of _me_. _Toshiku, do something! Say something! Don't make Minamoto-sama afraid; you are the Guardian of Moon. You aren't supposed to make them frightened, thinking of all you could do to them if you were to lose yourself for only a split moment!_

I didn't recognize the voice speaking in my head, or why she'd called Koji 'Minamoto-sama' like a master, but I began to speak faster than I could figure out her thoughts, or even her thought processes really. I just…said what came to me when it did; I surprised myself at my strangely calmer voice, a more…serene mumble than the growl I'd previously given to Koji, _"…Gomen nasai, Minamoto-sama…You did not deserve to be spoken to in such a way. You are a flower in a field of weeds that I've searched endlessly for, until my hands began to bleed. _

_"But that flower doesn't belong to me; for I don't deserve it…I don't deserve someone like you, that can make me feel so…differently inside, nor have I earned any forgiveness for anything that I've done to you, or anyone else for that matter. But I swear on my chikushou pride, whenever you need support, I will be the one to become the crutch, no matter what occurs between us as time progresses into infinity. Although…I don't think you'll ever truly know how much you really mean to me…it's impossible even for me to be able to really see how far I've fallen to find you…_

_"But no matter how far and deep I may be in the oceans abysses for you, it doesn't justify what I've said and done to you now and every other time I lost control, and even when I haven't even momentarily lost myself to Cherubimon's temptations of a world under my reign…though, when I come back to it, I realize that it never would truly be a world all my own. It would forever be only Cherubimon ruling the whole dominion through me. Gomen nasai, Minamoto-sama…you should know…I never meant to do any harm to you…I just…can't seem to learn any better. If it is your wish…I don't have to come back the next time I wander off in search of some kind of an answer to an unknown question…I won't blame you…"_

I didn't look at Koji as I 'spoke'; I just couldn't force myself to no matter how hard I tried to. I didn't want to hear his answer; what if he really would prefer that I left all of them to saving the Digital World on their own? Of course I wouldn't leave, at least not completely. No matter what Koji did, no matter what anyone did really, I was here to stay. Just like a parasite to its host, I would never hurt them, but I would never be someone who was easy to be rid of. But…if it was truly what Koji wanted…to forever search for someone who could treat him even better than I'd tried to, if he wanted someone better…then I would step back, and try to let him go. I couldn't hold him back from something he wanted so badly.

After a few forever-seeming moments of utter, dead silence, I stole a glance over at Koji, and caught a slightly frightened gasp before it could squeak its way out between my lips. Koji's mouth was slightly agape, in a sadly surprised 'o' kind of shape, almost like my mental image of the boy in the 'Boy in the Striped Pajamas' book, but much more…depressed-ish. His eyes had clouded over with a sorrow I wasn't very used to seeing within Koji's heart, and it nearly made me tear up just looking at him. It was as if Koji had never even pondered the concept of me not being here beside him at all. Not even for a little bit had it ever crossed his mind. I could see it there, in his eyes: Even if he tried, he couldn't bear to tell me to leave him.

Finally he spoke to me, his voice soft and hushed even though it was practically impossible for us to be heard when conversing within each other's minds. It was the only line in any world that was never busy, and would never get a low battery and die on you when you're in the middle of talking and you end up talking to yourself for half of forever until you realize that the phone died at least a half hour ago at the least. _"…Don't call me 'Minamoto-sama'. I want you to call me 'Princess' Toshiku. I'd like that a lot more. And you know, you underestimate how much you actually mean to me. After all the chances that had passed me by, I was only going to give a feeling like this one more try. But there was no way that I could've even guessed that I could feel much, much more than what I'd been expecting to. It was a miracle that you were the next one in line to chase after me in hopes of something being there when we made that first connection. And even though it took me a while to realize it, now that I have…I don't know how I ever lived without you Tenshi…You're like my little guardian angel; I can't live without you…I don't know if you knew all that or not…but I've always wanted to…to tell you that…"_

Words couldn't even attempt to help me now. I stood there, just staring at Koji, trying to believe all that my 'ears' had heard him say, trying to believe what he'd said at all. What if he was just saying that like any other guy would to get inside some ignorant girl's head? Was Koji…at all like one of those kinds of boys? Was I just some game to him? Was what I thought we might have…even _real_? For _either_ of us?

I gulped and stood up straight, taking Koji's hand in mine, squeezing it gently as I pushed away all of those obscene thoughts; all of them were incredibly impossible. They had to be. Koji would always be mine, these feelings for him that I could always sense deep within me (sometimes not so deep…heheh~) were never going to just dissipate and leave me. _…Right? Can anyone tell me for certain…? I just need to know for sure…Vademon, where are you when I actually _want_ to know something? Wait a minute…what if…She might be able to answer all of my questions…if she doesn't destroy me first that is._

I tightened my grip on Koji's hand again, being sure to be aware that I wasn't crushing his hand though, and quietly spoke to him as I felt his hand grasp mine back with a stronger, but tender and serene force that suddenly made me regret having to let go. _"KojKoj, there's something I have to deal with, now; there are questions that can't wait to be answered. If I wait, it might end up being too late to do anything about them. Stay here, and whatever you do, whatever you hear or see…whatever happens to anyone or anything, don't follow me, don't try to help me. If something goes wrong, there's a chance that there will be nothing, and no one, strong enough to help me once it begins. Cross your heart that you won't if something like it happens, please."_

_"What do you mean questions? What really is there to ask about that you can't just ask one of the Toucanmon about, or Bokomon. He _is_ the one with the very flammable book in his pants you know," _Koji's vocals were sarcastic and smirk-worthy, but the attempt-to-convince-Koji-everything-will-be-peachy-like-whatever-goes-with-peaches-in-the-end-of-this-all expression on my own face remained the same. Suddenly Koji's tone shrank back from his usual one, and returned to the hushed little sound he'd used only moments ago. _"…But what's your reason for going to find out all these questions? What do you need answered that's so important you can't wait for it to be unveiled to you by fate? You know, by now you should've realized that you're not alone anymore; you don't have to prove your strength, or your pride, or anything by doing everything all by yourself. I'm here for you, always will be, and even though you might think you're here to protect me, and that you can be your own savior…I'm the one who's to watch over you, and I swear to you that I'll do everything in my power to do so—"_

_"Koji," _I interrupted gently, not wanting to give him the wrong idea and think I was becoming annoyed with his way of thinking and affectionate arguing (Is there such a thing?). I just needed him to see that I couldn't explain what was going through my mind about all these questions, what they were about. Who they were all about. _"They're all too complicated to explain, and all of their answers—I'm assuming—have the same characteristics. I don't think that they're really something that Bokomon or anyone else here has the ability to answer. But you'll never believe how paranoid about absolutely nothing I'll be if I don't get some answers about yo—"_

I stopped myself, knowing that Koji would ask even more of his own inquiries if he knew I had questions about…_us_. About him. He wouldn't let me go and learn on my own; he would convince me to stay, and I would get nowhere. Koji could obviously see my hesitation to continue, his eyes still fogged over with his worry and affection-caused despair. I tried to smile, and rubbed his hand softly with my thumb as I told him with a faked confidence that by no means did I feel at all, _"Don't worry yourself, my blueberry-scented darling, I won't be gone for very long. I'll be back long before nightfall. But if you need me, or want me to come back, you know I'll come at the moment of your call, without any kind of hesitation. I promise."_

Koji stayed silent for a moment, thinking over all that I'd said as I continued to run my thumb over his hand reassuringly. I could tell by the look in his eye that he wanted to tell me to stay, not to leave at all, but there was a small hint of understanding there too. Finally he slowly nodded his head, telling me without a sound that I could leave now—there was a glint in his eyes that made me smile. The little sparkle was easy to read: _Don't be gone long._

A tiny grin swept across my face as I nuzzled Koji's ear lightly with my nose, whispering in a barely audible tone, "Don't fret, Puppy, there's no way that I could ever stay away from you." I released Koji's hand from the tight grip I'd caught him in, and jogged away without a sound, heading back into the trees at a leisurely pace. I didn't know if I'd have to make a dash to get out of a situation at lightning speed, so it would help to save a bit of my energy if I didn't have time to spirit-evolve.

Bounding over bushes and vines and roots of all shapes and sizes, I wondered about Rowloamon; why did I truly believe she would have answers for me that would be trustworthy? How was I to know if she were lying to psyche me out, to make my friends become my enemies? Was she going to tell me that everything wasn't what it seemed to be, that it was all just some kind of mirage that I'd created to stop the bleeding, to stop my pain? So it didn't happen again?

I had no idea how long I'd been trekking throughout the foliage, but it was obviously long enough to find what I'd wanted. It had been just enough time to run into the enemy I'd run from so many times, that I'd called so many hours ago to come and fight me already, to show herself and stop being the coward she was. But now I was becoming the tracker, the stalker, I'd been born to be, that—as Cherubimon had put it—I had been bred to become, again, and I'd found exactly what I'd set out to find. Rowloamon.

I didn't see her, however. I didn't run into her a second time either. No physical contact whatsoever occurred between the two of us to make me aware of her presence near me. I only knew by two pieces of evidentiary support: One: the black cloud was hovering around the sky above me, swirling in circles like a tornado, lightning flying silently throughout it like the powerful strikes did in the clouds of Venus; and Two: I could feel the temperature around me drop, enough that the next time I glanced at my skin, I was warm enough—thanks to Wereraiomon—to be steaming slightly. _…Well, that's not something you notice about yourself every day. How cold does it really have to be for this to be possible?_

The winds swayed and flowed around me with a teasing deceitfulness, like a deadly game of search and destroy, like hide-and-seek played with a murderer, with the enemy. But I only wanted to seek right now, no hiding. I needed to find answers, seek solutions, and locate Rowloamon to be able to end my quest for everything else. It was the best chance I might ever find; she was my greatest bet at getting something figured out. At least so I wouldn't be so paranoid about Koji, about Zoe. But the way this wind was swirling round and round the trees and the sands and stones like a tornado-wanna-be wasn't exactly convincing.

Chills rippled throughout my whole body; I could feel her presence her beside me, but I still could not even see her. I could smell her though, even without my Spirits' senses, I could just barely catch the scent of warm flesh, and feathers. She had an aroma like Raveamon, even though as Raveamon, I could barely tell what I smelt like anyway; it was like I'd always been her, as if I were used to it.

I cried out in surprise, slight pain and fright as a sudden pressure was upon my shoulder, like someone had grabbed me. The end of my lips started to twitch, along with my left eye and my nose as the cold darkness spread from the warm feathers onto the fabric of my shirt, though the translucent hand stayed exactly where it was. I tried to pull away, at least enough so it wouldn't hurt so much, but she held to me tightly, like I would if an enemy would be trying to get away from me…when I'd been searching for my enemy for a reason other than to fight. _What…? We…we are…alike…?_

A pulse of the lightning running through the clouds of darkness above us unexpectedly shot through me, making me momentarily blind (hopefully), and lighting up Rowloamon's figure, giving me a split second view of my newest enemy. But nothing could compare to the agony that ricocheted through my nervous system like bullets to the head of an immortal. It hurt too much for me to even figure out if it was Rowloamon trying to get within my vast store of hidden memories, or just the lightning frying all my brains and organs to a crisp. I didn't know which one was worse.

Ignoring Rowloamon's constant grip on my shoulder, I raised both of my hands to my head in a flash, putting as much pressure as I could, just trying to get the pain to subside in the slightest, anything so I could concentrate on talking to her. But the pain didn't go away, and instead, was joined by blackness…and another few pictures coming back from my past. Something I barely even recalled on my own.

_

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_

"Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!" Everyone chanted and chanted, on and on like deafening sirens as the three boys I was supposed to be, well, obviously fighting circled around me like sharks. I turned, there was one; other direction, another; once more, the last boy; I was surrounded, and all alone. Just like always.

_I waited until all three of them had crossed my line of vision at least once, each time I examined the way that they moved, searched for the flaws in their structure, anything I could focus my attack on. Well, of course they were dudes, and they all were…uhh, similar in a certain feature, but I didn't fight a guy…down there. That was the way a priss got away from some rokudenashi that was raping her or something. _

_Hiroshi, he was always one of the boys to fight me, he'd started after I'd punched him for the first time. But it had been for self-defense; he'd tried to kiss me. On the mouth. He'd tried to hold my hand; nobody did either of those things. No one could touch me, unless it was to cause pain. Then, and only then, would another human's touch be alright, but only for a moment. I'd given him a sprained ankle and a broken nose from our last fight, just a few days ago, and he was still walking with a limp. If I went for that leg again, maybe I could break his leg, and I would get a break from this constant fighting. The tingly black feeling inside me got darker and darker with each fight that I got caught in. But I couldn't help it, I loved to be in pain, I wanted to hurt, it felt so good to hurt. It was all I had left, the only thing I wanted. I'd sworn to myself that I wouldn't cut though, nothing that would be noticeable as self-inflicted._

_Haro, Hiroshi's brother, only close to him because of his bloodline was just to my left, eyeing me up and down like he was thinking about whether or not to actually come up and hit me or not. If they hadn't been family, Hiroshi would've just mugged him, and ditched him somewhere in the streets, bloody and beaten, to die. The only reason Haro was in the fight against me, was that I hadn't been as clever as my name had made 'clear' that I was, and hadn't kept my trap shut. I'd said exactly what I thought, and then this had started. I didn't even know who the third guy was, but he was against me also. _

_Then Mr. Number Three made his move, the first move of this little battle. I turned around just in time to have his foot slam into my face; I hit the ground hard, and they all jumped at me in a simultaneous motion. I felt the blows to all my vital signs, all the burning agony made me feel like I was dead, like I was going to die. I'd always loved the feeling of numbness, of nothingness, of death and pain. I wished I would always feel like this. It was so much better than anything else I could remember feeling before. _It feels…so…good…to be hurting again…

_"Hey! Hey! C'mon, wake up, you've gotta open your eyes Toshiku! Answer me bud; you've gotta wake up! Don't give up on me now buddy! I know you can do it, just…c'mon! Don't you give in Toshiku!" _

_"Ta…Takuya…?" My eye lids opened with a heavy struggle, glorious pain shooting through my sore body as I did, nearly making me smile with satisfaction. But just as easily as they'd opened, I couldn't keep them that way, and they fluttered closed again. Chotto matte_, who was I talking about? Who the seiko is this Takuya guy anyways? Why can I-…why can I…feel…warmth…within me? It's like…a fire, moving through me like some kind of everlasting embrace…like a…like…l-like…a friend…

_The next thing I knew I was laying on my bruised and wing-scared back in a white-blanketed hospital bed. My lip twitched uncontrollably for a moment, obviously irritated by the dried blood and scabs that were beginning to form all over my body, along with the bruises. Surprisingly, I could feel no broken bones this time, and yet I was in the hospital. Pity that I hadn't bled more, it hadn't felt like much._

_Glancing to the side, I saw a man exit the room, his long, string-black-bold hair swaying from side to side, bobbing up and down slightly due to his ponytail. _Heheh, who knew Koji would end up as a doctor_—_WAIT, WHO THE _HELL KUSO_ IS KOJI?...AND WHY DO I KNOW WHAT HE LOOKS LIKE?_ I lay there smoldering in my misunderstandings, all of my feelings building up in my throat like a river to a dam._

_I couldn't hold it back any longer, nor did I even want to; screaming meant pain, and I wanted to feel pain. I let out the shriek cry, the windows shuddering as I forced myself to grow louder. My fists clenched the sheets, and my back arched off the mattress as I commanded all of my strength into my diaphragm and vocal cords. _I sound like Daijiro when he screamed…Heh, Mum always said we should've ended up as twins. If I were shorter, and my eye color wasn't so different from his, and…he was still alive, we coulda passed as twins.

_Soon enough, I couldn't scream any more, and my voice croaked into silence. Rolling over, my back facing the door, I tried to pass on into some kind of sleep, where everything might be better, where everything was beautiful, perfect, and green with life. And…maybe where I could meet all these people that I knew, but didn't know. Why…? Who where they to me? Nothing, that's what. But…that still made no sense—_

_"Hey, are you okay?" I groaned with an aggravated air to my vocals before convincing myself to roll over again and see who was in the room now. As I rested my blood-shot eyes on the door, a head poked in. All of my annoyance with being disturbed vanished with one look into the person's eyes: A dark, shimmering blue that reminded me of a blueberry after a light rainfall, a color you'd see as someone's aura, but trapped in the pure cage of the white of the eye. _

_I caught myself just before I was about to sit up and smile, ready to utter a laugh at the shy way he anxiously looked at me with those big, innocently sweet eyes. He was one of those boys you just couldn't stand not to just reach over and touch, just to see what he would do, what his obvious innocent nature would make him do to you. My guess was that he'd find the heaviest object by the both of you, and drop it on you with a happy little giggle before running away merrily, only to have you chase him. The chase was always my favorite part about everything. But innocent wasn't my type; why go after something you know nothing of? _

_I'd always loved the types that were strong-willed, but cold and lovely to look at and feel within your grasp. I liked to be the one in control, though it didn't entirely matter as long as I knew who the alpha between the two was. I would fight my other half for the top spot, all the while, both of us knowing that we were one and the same in strength, affection for one another, and the liability to fall once the cruelty of the whole world came down upon our shoulders. _

_My attention was drawn back to the boy when one foot stepped inside the room; it was adorable the way he seemed so afraid, so untainted that it was honestly hard to believe. Those light-filled, dark eyes looked at me, asking without words if it was alright if he came inside. I nodded; a small smile decorated his face, making him seem comfortable around this stranger almost immediately as he walked over and sat down in a chair beside the bed. _

_He pulled the thin blankets up to cover my still frozen-cold-feeling body, just like a big brother would, though I didn't even know this kid's name. But that fact didn't last for very long. "I know you're probably wondering who I even am, aren't you? My name is Koichi, Koichi Kimura. My mother and I were here visiting my grandmother, she's very sick, has been for quite a while now…But when Mother and I heard you screaming like that, she said I should go and see if that little girl was okay. Now that I see you though, you're not so little, in fact, I think you're even a bit older than me, and I'm not even quite twelve yet—not to call you old or anything, just…just stating the obviously obvious…How old are you anyway, and what's your name?"_

_"…I…I am…" I couldn't help but stare at the boy before me, apparently Koichi Kimura. How could he be so comfortable with sharing such personal information with some kind of deluded psycho, and be so cute and smiley about it? He either had something truly wrong with him, or this was the most innocent, sweetly adorable black-haired, blue-eyed, blue-with-a-white-symbol-that-looked-like-a-dude-pretending-to-be-a-cricket-hat-wearing boy I'd ever met before in my life. There's a word for that: Wow. "I'm Toshiku Yumari; I…just turned thirteen a few months ago, back in August actually," Suddenly I cracked a small smile, his own pretty little grin making me feel comfortable, and no longer aggravated, or nervous at all. I didn't feel like being in pain so much right now. "You know, you look familiar. Have I seen you before in a dream or something?"_

_Koichi laughed, such a soothing sound, and his voice, like that of an angel. I was sure I could glimpse a little halo over his soft-looking hair every few minutes. Before I knew what was happening, I was laughing with him. And suddenly I felt…cheerful for one more time in my life. And all because someone—a boy that was almost two years younger than me, but was clearly much more figured out than I was with this whole life thing—had cared enough to come and meet me. I'd never known a person could be so…so…I didn't even know how to describe Koichi right off the top of my head. I'd need a dictionary._

_"Hey…Koichi? I have a question; do you mind if I ask you it?"_

_"Sure, what is it? I hope it isn't Algebra."_

_"Luckily for both of us, it isn't about Mathematics. I wanted to know…when it was right to want to hurt, to want to make yourself suffer. Is there a time when it's right to want to be in pain that you wanted?"_

_"Toshiku…I want you to think of something. Think of the moon. Do you know what makes it shine so bright at night? It's the sunlight. Light. It was destiny that light and the moon came together to make something so spectacular, so become one being: Moonlight."_

_"…Koichi, you're starting to lose me."_

_"Sorry, I'm working on it. Well, you see, the moon needed something to help it become what we see every day, to become what it always must've wanted to be, but couldn't be all on it's own. And the darkness only amplifies what the light and the moon become, like…umm…like a flashlight and a hand. If you make the room really dark, you can turn on the flashlight, and have yourself a hand-puppet show—I think I'm getting off topic. But anyway, my point is—wow, I should've just said the point—that sometimes, being hurt isn't what you need, getting rid of feelings aren't the answer. You have to look for the strength to stand up and move on from the people who love you, from your friends. Do you understand now—_

* * *

The reminiscence had grown weak near the end, making all that I was able to catch onto become the talking. At least I knew who was talking and when. And now I could remember who that boy with the blue hat that had been slightly too big for him had been: Koichi Kimura. He still did look familiar though, I'd have to figure that out.

Rowloamon's pressure on my shoulder had now subsided, and the pain from the lightning had gone away with her. It was warmer now, and I wasn't steaming like a cooked Bokomon or Neemon veggie now either from the cold. Turning away from the trees ahead of me, I headed back to the Toucanmon Paradise beach house thing that I'd left Koji and the others at. I hoped that they were okay. I had no idea how long I'd been gone; it could've been the whole day, and now it was the middle of tomorrow for all I knew.

I walked leisurely slow, dragging the toes of my shoes through the sand as I moved. I could remember meeting Koichi, and everything after it now, and that made me feel slightly fuzzy inside; _I wish I could see him again_. And now…I knew what my brother's name had been: Daijiro. I even knew what it meant, right off the top of my head. _Great second son_. I smiled to myself, laughing slightly; _Yeah, I'm the clever stalker, and he was always the great wonder of everyone's world….Man, saying someone's name doesn't bring closure...it makes you miss them that much more…_

And how had Koichi known that I'd held the Human Spirit of the Moon Guardian even then, when I had barely even known she was there within me like another conscience? How had he known that Koji would be one of the things that were starting to change my life? Or had he known at all? Was it just a lucky guess, or was it…destiny, like it always is?

Suddenly I grinned to myself, kicking a lavender-y pebble out from underneath my shoe as I realized something. _Heheheh, incredible Koji, I even kinda knew you before I heard you tell me your name. And Takuya, I always knew you'd try to haunt my mind one of these days….I always knew my life was missing more than just my family. I was missing you two._

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I hope you all liked it! I know, it sucked. I made it what it is (without all the episode 15-y goodness) because I had so much planned for it, I would've had forty pages before I had half of what I had planned out in there. So, I'm going to try and squeeze some of 15's stuff into 16 (Don't worry Kimiko Heroux, I'll make sure that the saw and Koji's 'predicamid' *wink wink* get in there). And just so there's no confusion about me copyrighting something that Kimiko Heroux wrote in her Chapter 18, Toshiku calling Koji 'Minamoto-sama' is for an entirely different reason that is explained later on in the plot. Just wanted to say that so everyone knew that I wouldn't copy anything from my friends' FanFics, or anyone else's for that matter.


	18. Chapter 16: In Too Deep

***bursts out laughing for no apparent reason* Whatdya know? Another 30 page chapter! I got so much enjoyment out of this; I just never wanted to stop writing all the cute fluffy parts. **

**With all that being said...I don't own Digimon, but I named a blue and white marble Koji *huggles marble* ...I know, I'm quite strange. I love it!**

**Have fun reading, and please review and do the poll on my profile, I really want to know what you guys think about this 'Fic!**

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Chapter 16: In Too Deep

Koji let out a very irritated-sounding groan, obviously annoyed with two things that I'd just stood in the doorway and listened to. One: The fact that no one else seemed to care that the food was free for no apparent purpose, clearly improperly made, and yet somehow delicious nonetheless. That visibly made no sense whatsoever to Koji, but sounded pretty freakin' good to me, and also everyone else. Two: Everyone had stated something about how he looked just like a girlier, less muscular version of Taylor Lautner. Either that, or he was some kind of creepy perverted gay guy trying to lure in some unsuspecting prey. Apparently no one had noted the fact that Tommy was the one who fit that personality like water to another glass of water. _Koji no like being accused of being a gay Taylor Lautner impersonator._

"Take it easy on him you guys, it's not like just _anyone_ can pull that kind of thing off, and still be so…so…" I trailed off for a moment, trying to find the perfect way to describe Koji using one word, but not using spiffy, beautiful, or anything of the like. Or a name that I'd made for the Warrior of Light. It was hard. "…So…warrior-like, if you will…'Cause I really got nothin' else." I grinned as said warrior spun around and looked at me, a glow of happiness at my unexpected return shining like a flashlight in his eyes.

_Flashlight. Wow Koichi, all you say applies to everything now that I remember you…_ I moved away from the post that I'd been leaning against to listen in on the conversations as I came over and sat down in a chair opposite from Neemon. There was already a plate of food before me, like the Toucanmon had known there would be one more person. Maybe someone asked where I was, not that I expected anyone really to care. Other than Takuya, there was a small chance that he'd asked about my absence. But I doubted there would be anyone else wondering where I was. It honestly didn't bother me.

I stared at the food, no longer feeling the want to eat; Koichi's memory had brought about more memories, each one deeper, lost for a much longer time, and even more agonizing to recall. Only one memory wasn't something that I'd forgotten, but the blood and pain had brought it about without any assist: The night before Ophanimon had called me to the Digital World. It was the only memory prior to the one that was trying desperately to make me see something invisible. How thoughtful.

I'd been in another fight with Hiroshi, but this time over Rio. Again. I just couldn't seem to figure out what he had against Rio, the poor little kid was only in the third grade for _Kamisama_'s sake, and he'd never done anything against Hiroshi, or anyone in the whole _chikushou_ building. All Rio had done was glance at Hiroshi to make sure he wasn't looking to him for another beating. I blamed myself; I was there, and could've stopped it all before it started. I hadn't.

But I'd been able to convince Hiroshi into leaving him alone for the rest of the night, even though it had nearly cost me an arm and a leg due to Hiroshi going against the rules of our fights. There were only three rules: Rule 1: The fight was to cease immediately if one of the staff entered the room, or came near. That was why there was always more fighting than two, people always wanted to join, but there had to be a look-out. Rule 2: If you were going to ask others for help, said person would have to have been in the fight from the very beginning, otherwise they'd just have to go on alone and deal with it. Rule 3: No restraining the opponent whatsoever; no guns, no bats, no knives.

Hiroshi had followed the first two rules: he'd found a look-out, Eight (we called him that because we didn't know his actual name—he never told anyone what it was—and had gotten it from the scar on his cheek; it was in that general shape), and had already known he would want help against me (the wuss) and had found both Mr. Number Three—who I'd learned from Rio was Eight's half-brother—Hachi, and Haro. It wasn't until I was about to win against them in the fight for the first time in months that Hiroshi started to go against the rules.

Haro had tried to get them to just think it over and not go through with what their sick, crooked minds had come up with to become triumphant over me, but he couldn't convince them; it wasn't like he was going to act 'uncool' in front of his brother. How else would he earn his brother's pride and love? He obviously thought there was no other way…so, he grabbed my left shoulder, and Hachi gripped my right.

They slammed me up against the wall, sending tingling sensations down my spine, hurting enough to make me stop moving. Usually a hit like that wouldn't bother me, wouldn't be enough to immobilize me to this extent, but I'd done what Koichi had said, I hadn't fought for the pleasure of pain. I believed him; I didn't need to hurt to feel better, he'd shown me that by making me happy again.

But what were they doing? You weren't supposed to render your opposite fighter defenseless, only hurt them. If they couldn't move because of wounds, that was their problem, but you couldn't hold them back. I hadn't known what was going to happen to me then, but it was the past, and I thought now that I should've seen it coming before Hiroshi pulled out the knife.

He came up to me slowly, almost like he wanted the metallic blade to glint in the low lighting, just so I could see it, just to make me squirm with my trepidation. I saw the shimmer, but tried hard not to give him the satisfaction of fighting to get away. If I made the right moves, I knew I had a chance to be able to kick it out of his hand before he did anything to me with it. There was a lot of pretty creative stuff you could do to a person with the sharpest edge of any blade; none of it was anything I'd like to happen.

I couldn't move, immobilized in my fear, I lost myself in plotting to get away…but didn't move fast enough when he finally came up to me. He placed the knife directly at my throat, the tip barely nicking my skin as I swallowed, though my throat was dryer than a desert. He'd told me something I just couldn't forget: "Let me tell you a little secret…I'm gonna do you a favor, and I'm going to show you a world that could be yours if you wanted it to be. You're going to suffer all the more if you don't take the hand that's going to be offered to you, and go against what you feel inside. When the time is right, feelings won't matter to you anymore."

I'd been ready to ask him what the hell he was talking about when the blade was suddenly taken from my neck. Hiroshi gestured for Haro and Hachi to drag me over to a crate near the center of the room. Not knowing what they were going to be doing now, they followed his commands. One of the two sent a kick into the back of my knees as soon as I was standing before the wooden box, and slammed my arms down on the top as I fell to my knees, my pale wrists facing the swinging light bulb above us.

Hot tears came to my eyes both then, and now, as I remembered how frightened I'd felt before he'd done it to me. I'd been right there on my knees, my pain-wracked head resting on the edge of the orange crate as I waited, completely paralyzed, for Hiroshi to make up his mind, and stop using up so much time. If he didn't work fast enough, someone might come and see what was going on, they might get involved with something that would be better for the whole world if it just consisted of us four.

But Rio hadn't gotten that message like anyone else would've. He opened the door to the nearly empty room, the hinges creaking, catching everyone's attention. I'd struggled against Haro's grip to turn around and shout for Rio to run, to get out of there, go back to his room, and lock the door. Hiroshi had started to make a dash to nab Rio before he'd finally listened to me and sprinted back to his room, but I felt something inside me growing into something that wasn't afraid, something strong, and bright like the reflection of the sun's rays on the moon at night. Something that made me scream for Hiroshi to stop, that I would take whatever he had planned for me, and whatever he would do to Rio, I would go through it for Rio so he wouldn't have to fight through the rest of his life scared like I would be. Like I now was.

I placed my arms underneath the table the Toucanmon had prepared for all of us to hide my past from the others, and insecurely pulled back the long, white sleeve of both of my arms, unveiling my tortured wrists. Hiroshi had slashed them, ten times each (_Dono yo na seiko_ is with the whole _chikushou_ Digital World and the number ten anyways? Well, I guess it's better than a hundred) severing veins, skin, and tissue as he did. How cuts at that kind of an extent had healed and become scars over night was a true mystery…But a mystery I'd solved only days ago.

After I'd dragged my draining body into bed that night, I'd felt a presence that was barely human, if human at all. It had the hint of a human's presence within the yellow-eyed soul, but it was difficult to tell when I had never seen such a graceful creature before. He walked with such sereneness, his footsteps so light, like he was walking on the air; it was hard to believe that he wasn't some kind of projection on a drive-in movie screen. His pure, metallic-white armor glistened in the moonlight like some kind of light saber on Star Wars; the way that the gold spike adorning his chest didn't sparkle like I'd expected making him look kinda like a horizontal, dog-like ice cream cone back then. And even so, I'd thought that my lose of blood was just making me see things, making me hallucinate giant wolves that came to people and clotted their blood flow. I knew better now.

AncientRaiafemon had enough power to be able to contact all of the Spirits of the Ten. It was very possible that she'd been able to send that spirit, the wolf I could only assume must've been Koji's beast spirit, KendoGarurumon (I'd never actually seen anyone's beast spirits except for Takuya's yet), to come and help me, to save me. Why she kept giving me more and more chances to live through what I'd put myself through was a mystery I wanted solved, but just didn't seem to want to come undone yet. It was starting to get quite frustrating.

"Hey, Toshiku? Are you fantasizing about Koji in the water too, or is something wrong with you?"

I ripped my sleeves back down over my scars, and turned to find the voice, banging my knee painfully under the table, holding back a yelp as I glanced over at Tommy, apparently the one who'd spoken. I gave him an, 'Oh, you're talking to me?' look before making up some kind of answer—I hoped Koji hadn't heard what he'd said though, that would make like…the third time today for me to be thinking about that—, "Heheheh…you don't need to know about that kind of stuff…"

"Oh, don't worry Toshiku," Tommy said with an evil smile, though it faded for a moment as he gestured to my plate; I guessed that he was trying to point out that my food was going to get cold if I didn't eat now. Chicken legs and Zingers (Twinkies with icing; the ultimate sugar torpedoes), what a combination. "I think about stuff like that all the time. The last time I thought something kinda dirty about Koji, I was picturing him n—"

I reached over a few inches from my chair and clapped a hand over Tommy's mouth, glancing over at Koji as I did, just to make sure he hadn't heard—or assumed—what Tommy's almost said he'd been thinking about (how a little kid like Tommy could think of Koji in such a disturbed way was beyond me). According to Koji's now twitching eye and embarrassed-scarlet face, he'd heard every word, and figured what could possibly start with 'n' that Tommy would've thought of.

"Dude," I exclaimed under my breath, only loud enough for Tommy to hear, even though Koji was watching both of us pretty intently right now. It wasn't very hard to assume what he thought we were talking about. It was written all over his pretty, bothered face. "You do realize that he's only sitting a few feet away from both of us, right?"

"Yeah," Tommy breathed, his voice tainted with a perverted-daydreaming-ness as he rested his chin in his hands and gazed lovingly at Koji from across the table. Koji noticed his stare and started to twitch again; I was pretty sure he was getting a bit creeped out by his little stalker. But it was just a guess. "That makes it that much better, doesn't it?" He sighed, again his voice dripping with a perverted want of Koji. "So pretty…" _…I'd better keep an eye on that one…Ah, what the hell?_

"Hey," I gave Tommy a punch in the shoulder and gestured over to Koji with a wag of my eyebrows. Koji raised his own eyebrow at me for the motion, but remained silent and returned to his food. Honestly I was starving right then, but I had stuff to say, Koji to bug. "I'll fight ya for him Tommy. Whoever wins gets to keep Puppy."

Tommy beamed; as perverted as it was, this was a fun conversation! Koji obviously didn't think so; the next time I glanced over at him, he was glaring at me, clearly hoping I was kidding, knowing that I wouldn't fight an eight year old that my beast spirit could easily eat for lunch and still have room for JP. "Yeah! Le—"

"Don't even think about it Pipsqueak." Koji cut him off with a clearly pissed off grumble; I grinned at his red face, but kept quiet about it. If I bothered him too much, he wouldn't let me anywhere near his hair. I had great plans for those black, beautiful, flowy locks. Koji was gonna hate me so much after today…and I couldn't even say I blamed him.

I returned my attention back to my food, and picked up one of the Zingers, scanning it over under my gaze. For whatever reason, just the single pastry reminded me of my past; or was it just that the hole Rowloamon must've had to rip in my head to get into my memories at all was just having trouble healing closed again? Whatever it was, I could barely believe that I had a memory of my father and I other than when he was dying in the hospital.

It had been almost two years before the accident, maybe a little more, when one of my father's old friends in America—Dad had always been the one guy in his classes that you wanted on your side in anything, be it a fight, or just some group argument for some Science project. It wasn't a very big surprise that he'd been able to keep one of his friends, though he'd moved that far away—had sent our family a package. The labeling on it had been, as best I could recall, 'To Kenshin Yumari and his daughter: Ignoring the apocalypse of sugar, enjoy.' I still didn't quite get what he'd meant, I'd never been able to understand the guy, but apparently Father could.

He'd laughed for a minute or so, but hadn't explained to me as I stood there and looked at the box while he read the note that had been attached to it. Finally he put the note aside, and aided me in opening up the box; inside had been a box of the icing-ed sugar-pastries. Dad had just stood there and laughed with a merry humor as soon as he'd read something or other on the box. I didn't get it, so, like your normal kid, I inquired about it.

But he just crouched down to my height, rested a hand on my shoulder, and looked me right in the eyes, his own happy and cheerful though his expression had been a very serious one that I hadn't been very used to seeing on my father's face. He showed me the box, pointed at a big word that I still probably couldn't even pronounce, and had told me something I just couldn't forget, 'Toshiku, I think that it would be best for the whole world and everyone in it if neither of us ever, ever had one of these little sugar bombs. It wouldn't be harmful to us—well, sort of—but you never know what might happen if one, or both for that matter, of us were to lose ourselves due to an inanimate object.' _Dad, sometimes I gotta admit, you sure were a basket case…So, that's who I got it from…_

I pondered whether or not I should figure out what the 'when worse comes to worse' part of this could be. What if Dad had had an extremely good reason for keeping me away from something like this? In the end, it was too tempting, and I popped the fluffy, obviously-sugary, this-thing-comes-in-a-box tartlet into my mouth. There was no way that something that bad could happen, unless one of the Toucanmon had poisoned it. But they really didn't look smart enough to be able to tell poison and a demonic Furby apart from one another. _Does that mean that I just ate a Furby that was inside that Zinger?...Oh well…_

As soon as I had, my whole mouth began to tingle with the explosion of sugariness. I did all I could to suppress a groan of delight at the first taste of a new creation that really wasn't that new, but what the hell, I'll call it new anyways. JP was giving me a weird look, while also observing the chicken still sitting on my plate with an expression that read, 'Chicken! Heheh, I'm gonna eat you!'. But I didn't care; the sugar was too good to care.

By the second one, I was starting to feel kinda strange; not strange as in 'I'm gonna be sick', but I felt more like screaming at the very, very top of my lungs, 'Holy crap! It's Koji! Isn't he spiffy?' But, thanks to 'self-control', I didn't do that. Instead, I channeled my sudden energy to Neemon, the best person to be around while you were becoming sugar-high in a matter of seconds. Why? Because he would make it go faster. "Neemon! Why don't you sing us a song? Me and Teri-Taki will join in too!" I arched over and jabbed Takuya in the side, making him aware I was talking about him.

"…Okie dokie smokie, just let me get into my zone…" Neemon stated as he towed himself up onto the table, gave the Hulk-gun-show-pose before inflating himself with all kinds of air (I decided to note the fact that he was coated in pieces of corn-on-the-cob that had fallen out of the hole in his mouth) and began to blend together the sound of the wind chimes with some kind of blue thing that I couldn't catch a clear glimpse of, and the silence of the group as we watched into the perfect tune. " Maybe I need some rehab, or maybe just need some sleep. I got a sick obsession; I'm seeing it in my dreams. I'm looking down every alley, I'm making those desperate calls; I'm staying up all night hoping, hitting my head against the wall!

" What you've got boy, is hard to find. I think about it all the time. I'm all strung out, my heart is fried. I just can't get you off my mind. Because your love, your love, your love, is my drug. Your love, your love, your love. I said your love, your love, your love, is my drug. Your love, your love, your love…

"You're up Fire-boy! Woohoo!" Neemon shouted to an obviously boiling-over-with-excitement Takuya as he flung himself backwards, landing almost perfectly in his chair and returning to his corn. I was truly astounded that Neemon could be so…so…graceful in a movement, and all because of corn. Wow.

"Oh yeah baby!" Takuya yelled at the top of his lungs as he leapt onto his feet, knocking his chair over backwards as he did so. He thrust a fist into the air, a smile of confidence on his shockingly charming face, clearly pleased that he actually knew this song. " Won't listen to any advice; Momma's telling me I should think twice. But left to my own devices, I'm addicted! It's a crisis!

" My friends think I've gone crazy; my judgment's getting kinda hazy. My esteem is gonna be affected if I keep it up like a lovesick crack head! What you've got boy, is hard to find. I think about it all the time. I'm all strung out, my heart is fried. I just can't get you off my mind. Because your love, your love, your love, is my drug. Your love, your love, your love. I said your love, your love, your love, is my drug. Your love, your love, your love…

"And to answer any questions…I'm not gay," He stated quite matter-of-factly, wagging a happy gloved finger back and forth like a kindergarten teacher would to a kid who was about to shoot the other kid with a gun they'd made out of crayons. _Ta-kun would be an…interesting…teacher…_ Takuya turned to me with a grin; I treasured his smiles, there was an eternal flame of affection there for his friends, for everyone he cared about. I was glad there was something there for me also. "Show time Tosh-ioca!" _…Tapioca…Tosh-ioca…wow, he knows his pudding._

I bobbed my head, smiling uncontrollably at the stupid, cutesy name, not that I cared; Koji called me _Tenshi_, it didn't seem that much different. I glanced over at Koji, sending him a quick wink before taking up where Takuya'd left off. Koji kept a straight face for the most part, but a sweet little smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, and he sent the wink right back. He knew what I meant. " I don't care what people say; the rush is worth the price I pay. I get so high when you're with me, but crash and crave you when you leave…

" Hey, so I got a question: Do you wanna have a slumber party in my basement? Do I make your heart beat like an 808 drum? Is my love your drug? Your drug…huh, your drug…huh, your drug—is my love, your drug? Because your love, your love, your love is my drug! Your love, your love, your love! I said your love, your love, your love is my drug! Your love, your love, your love!

" Your love, your love, your love is my drug! Your love, your love, your love! I said your love, your love, your love is my drug! Your love, your love, your love! " I let out a breathless sigh as I gestured over to Neemon, allowing him to take the rest on himself. I didn't feel like it anymore; the hyperness was, sadly, starting to wear off, and drain me of all excess energy whatsoever. _Another Zinger might be enough to solve that problem…_

Neemon looked up at me, an expression that seemed to ask, 'Whatwhowhereme?' before realizing I did, in fact, mean for him to finish. He jumped back up onto the table (don't know why he felt he had to be practically standing in both JP's and Bokomon's food to sing, but I couldn't say I was complaining about it) and wrapped it all up with a ribbon of corn on top. " Hey! Hey…~So? Heheh, your love, your love, your love, your love…is my drug… " He got a weird look from nearly everyone at the table when he turned to Takuya, and started prodding in the basic direction of his chin. "I like your beard!"

Teri-Taki made a bit of a pleased little squeaky sound thing that I couldn't mimic even if Koji was being even more spiffy than normal even though that was impossible because he was always inconceivably spiffy all the time. He put a hand to his chin, rubbing the peach fuzz hairs with pride and undivided affection; I had no idea Takuya Kanbara was capable of loving little peach fuzzez. _Fuzzezzzz…fuzzeeeess…Man, those are SPIFFY words! …YAY! THE ZINGER'S NOT GONE YET EITHER!_

After everyone had sat back down and returned to their food, everything became so eerily silent, you couldn't drop a pin without being stared at while you picked it back up. I was pretty sure, knowing Zoe, she would be the one to drop the pin (hair pin obviously, she didn't look like the type to be nimble enough to sew anything except her finger to the fabric) and force one of us (a.k.a. me, or possibly JP, probably me, thinking she could control a Sentinel of the Midnight Sky. Hmph, _bonkura_) to pick it up so she wouldn't be stared at and feel awkward. Not that it wasn't normal to feel strangely self-conscious when everyone's staring at you because you frickin' dropped a frickin' pin. Who's really gonna care except the sewer who fell in love with the _chikushou_ thing? Not that most sewer people did that by any means.

"You ate a lot!" Neemon stated to Bokomon with a queer happiness that made him sound very surprised that Bokomon was able to shove that much pudding-looking stuff down his pie-hole. Or in this case, pudding-hole. _I should've stolen that pudding while I had the chance…Now I'm sad…Maybe stealing a hug from Koji would solve that predicamid…YAY!_

But I didn't get the freakin' chance to hug Koji for no reason other than the fact that he wouldn't kill me for it, and I enjoyed it too, 'cause Bokomon decided to make some kind of a statement to use as an excuse for his having eating an entire cow. "I'm eating for two now; my selfish days are over. So if I must pig-out, then so be it!" _…Spider-pig, spider-pig, does whatever a spider-pig does. Can he fling…from a web…No, he can't, 'cause he's a pig—Look out, he is a spider-pig…Dude, Homer Simpson should make more songs like that. I'd buy that album, no frickin' doubt about it buddy._

I smiled maniacally along with the others and chanted right along with them, mimicking Takuya for the hell of it as we all thanked the Toucanmon for the satisfyingly humanly-ish-world food, though I couldn't help but ponder where they'd learned how to make it, or at least found it. Oh well, who cares? "It was wonderful!"

"Don't mention it," All of the birdies that reminded me of Mickey Mouse (or at least his pants) turned around—some of them didn't have to because they were behind a counter at a sink washing the dishes already, even though most of them were still sitting licked clean on the table in front of everyone—and nodded their appreciation for the comment. "It was our pleasure!" _Yes, it was your pleasure to give us all rat poison that tasted, to quote ourselves, 'wonderful'!_

I stood up from my chair, instantly feeling the need to go for a swim and just do _something_—mainly from the fact that I'd been staring at the water for less than three seconds and had immediately gotten the idea that it would be kinda fun to go through with what Tommy had mentioned about Koji in the water, except this would be no fantasy—as I placed my hands palms-down on the table, and smiled almost insanely at the Toucanmon as I began to make my point, "So, going from the assumption you guys don't mind us being here one bit at-freakin'-all, it's just peachy in everyone's point of view if we hit the water?"

The Toucanmon in the green apron that hid his Disney pants nodded his head and told all of us in a voice that sounded strangely familiar, but still quite vague in my memory (mostly 'cause it was kinda whiny, and I usually don't listen to wail-like-you're-about-to-be-sawed-in-half-by-a-death-machine people; take Zoe for an example of that kind of freakin' squealy _subeta_), "You sound pretty excited, but I guess that you've gotta have a bit of a bizarre banana-ness to ya if you're gonna be traveling all over the Digital World, donchya?"

"You bet your beak, my fine, tail-feathered friend!" I exclaimed with a fist concurrently pumped into the air—I couldn't help but note that Takuya had done this exact pose before. Not that it bothered me that much. I was starting to get hooked back up with my sugar-high, you just don't care when you start staring down that kind of a date. Like Koji, but you can't hug hyperness. "You'll get squished in a heartbeat if you're not the slightest bit psychotic! And I'm freakin' livin' proof of that there, pally."

"Emphasis on 'freak'." I heard Zoe quip from my left, her voice rising with glee that I'd said something she could use to insult me with. The old I'm-too-lazy-and-_ijiwaru_-to-come-up-with-my-own-verbal-abuse-that-doesn't-even-leave-a-frickin'-dent-on-plato-so-I'm-going-to-listen-oh-so-very-intently-to-what-you're-saying-so-I-can-find-something-to-convert-to-the-evil-priss-ruled-side-of-the-pudding-bowl trick. Zoe Orimoto put the poor manner to shame.

I turned to face her, my hands now palm down on the table again, though there was no rage in my eyes or my voice (surprisingly), however, there was a definite annoyance there that could only beheld that of Zoe. I gave her an expression that read quite clear: Do you ever just _seiko o shattodaun_? "Okay, uh, Twerpie, I'm kinda having a moment here, so, would you mind shutting the hell up for a half second?"

Zoe made a very offended little 'Hmph!' kind of sound before averting her face from my direction. Not that I really cared; I was happy to not have her bug eyes digging into my skin. She made my skin crawl, making me feel that if I didn't keep itching, I might become some kind of clone. Nonetheless, I turned away from her, my head jerking to face a different direction in a very Ace Ventura-ish manner as I continued with the Toucanmon, now mimicking said dude's voice, "Pay no attention to that lahoo-zaher."

"No problem," The Disney mouse-bird replied with a dismissive wave of his feathery wing, pretty much like he was swatting at a very smart, evasive moth that would've ram into a light bulb and fry like all of them were supposed to so some people could mourn over its death, while one other person could be like, 'That's such a stupid moth!'. "That's what I've gotta do to my brothers almost 24/7! You're not alone there. Not. Alone."

I stared at the freaky-voiced Digimon for a few more moments, completely bewildered by the fact that he was starting to remind me of E.T. by the way he was talking in sentences consisting of only one word. After a minute or more of awkward silence, I decided that it was for the best of every single living and dead and never-been-alive-or-dead creature I'd ever met or not met if I snapped said discomfort in half by saying more words. "…Okay, Mr. Extra Terrestrial over there is starting to give me the heebie-jeebies, so, I'm going to phone in to talk to some other dude. Anyone planning on hanging by the tellie for the rest of the afternoon?"

The Toucanmon wearing the chef-like-ish hat that looked the tiniest bit too big for the little guy jogged in a waddling kind of fashion over to a curtain that I hadn't noticed coming in here the first time. He grasped the draw rope with both of his wings, using them like hand as he pulled it down, yanking the curtain back to reveal that the wall was covered in swimming clothes and all kinds of pre-inflated inner tubes and items of the like. "Before you get too much more hyper and insane-ish-ie, why don't you all take advantage of our Super Value Summer Special? Which means free beach rentals for everybody! And complimentary baskets have been made available for your valuables also."

The whole group erupted into volleys of 'woohoo!'s and I couldn't sworn I heard Takuya saying something about being excited that I would get to see him in swim trunks, though I wouldn't put that making him joyous past the Flame-Dude. Everybody seemed to teleport from their seats over to the wall, leaving me in a dazed fog as I tried to teleport like they had. Sadly, I can do no such thing. So…I had to walk.

I listened to everybody else talking about how nice the Toucanmon were being, and how spectacular all of the swimming gear was despite the fact that not one of us had any idea of why stuff like this that was obviously made for humans like us would be here in the Digital World where there were practically no humans to speak of whatsoever. But that didn't dim any one of our already lava lamp-like mood settings. Not one freakin' bit.

One of the Toucanmon (specifically the kinda cute one with the sun hat-looking cap) led all of us to the dressing rooms, showing both Zoe and me to the side with the pink near the door (Yeah, like that was going to be the guys' changing room. Like Koji would go near something that prissy.), and the rest of the group (aside from Bokomon and Neemon; they'd already gone down to the beach) into the one parallel to it.

Zoe walked into the room first—mainly because I got distracted by Koji's swaying hair; so hypnotic it be—but I followed after and closed the door behind the both of us—only because Koji slammed the door before I could try to hug the life out of him for no purpose other than the fact that it was a spiffily fun thing to do, and he couldn't fight back if I wrapped my arms around him in a the perfect way so his would be pinned against my body. I became very depressed (for half a second or so) when I finally went into the girls' dressing room.

As soon as I walked in, I could hear Zoe humming away to a song that I didn't exactly know the name of, but was completely and utterly sure that whatever it was, it was annoying, and I hoped to high heaven that she wouldn't decide to share it with me and ruin all the magic of being sugar-high by using my own hobby of singing whatever song popped into your head at random moments of the day. But suddenly she just stopped, and started to stare at me as I shoved her to the side blankly, snatching up the first swimming suit I laid eyes on: A simple white one, nothing extraordinary. I just wanted to get in that sparkling, refreshing water in the shortest amount of time possible.

It was like she was trying to get inside me in the only way that she wouldn't have to touch me (I could hear her now: Who knows where that _thing's_ been!), and that was by boring a hole in my back with her beady, buggy-green eyes. The only way to protect yourself from Zoe-insects was to put sunglasses over her eyes, then you wouldn't be able to see her eyes digging into your skin so she could lay her evil-dynamite-bug eggs in your veins and eventually all of your vital organs. You wouldn't want that for two different motives: One, it was Zoe after all; and two, when any of the eggs hatched, they would explode inside you. Or was she trying to get inside my head for a purpose other than to make my brain go _boom_?

"What do you think of Koji anyway, Toshiku?" She prodded with a strange note lingering on her voice as she let her sleeveless lavender (Of course it's lavender. What on her isn't?) vest-thing drop into one of the baskets the Toucanmon had mentioned before as she continued to watch my every move intently, almost menacingly now. And that question, what was that supposed to mean anyways? Since when did she care about what I did in my spare time—I take that back—all my time? She had no right at all to know anything that ever went on between Koji and me, or the mental images of him I'd get every now and then that made him look at me funny.

But…then again, I really didn't care what she knew right now, or ever really. She'd always had a thought in her head that I was (I'm gonna quote Neemon) 'digging' Koji, and she had been correct in pondering such a thing. Besides, we were all gonna be doing all kinds of stuff today, it was doubtful that she'd even remember a word I said. So…I began to rave for what, in the end, had began to seem like hours. _Wow, you just dug yourself in a very deep hole, Lavendy. _"Well, where to begin…I think I'll just work my way from the inside out…Koji may seem all cold and unsociable, and that whole shebang of stuff you and everybody else've mentioned that he was, and he is every now and then, but there's a side of him that hardly anybody's really ever seen. You haven't, and more likely than not, never will, and that doesn't bother me in the slightest.

"Whenever all of you people aren't there to bother us that unknown side of Koji pops up like a tiny little flower in a sidewalk crack. You wouldn't be able to guess by looking at him, but he actually does like hugs. And he gives great hugs, especially when he's in his one of his cuddly moods, which he's been having more and more of lately. Think of being completely surrounded by a fuzzy warmth that envelops you entirely, with arms around you like walls, keeping everything but that other person away from your every sense, so there's no way that your mind can wander into the deeper, more painful recesses of your head—"

"You don't deserve to see that of him." I glanced over at her with a confused sheen to my eyes as I removed my black over-shirt, revealing the long-sleeved white one beneath it. As I continued to undress, I wondered if anyone would question me about the scars from Raveamon's wings on my back; it wasn't like it was a normal place for scars like them. And what about my wrists…

I must've been too quiet for too long, because before I knew it, Zoe'd thrown a hanger at me, the metal curve digging with an awkward sting in the skin on my still-clothed back. There wasn't much pain though, more like a dull throbbing; my sugar-high was keeping me from feeling that actual impact. _I love you sugar…Kamisama, I sound like Ranamon._ "I'm talking to you; are you gonna say something or not?"

Staring at the ground while her eyes continued to burn a hole in my back, I tried to think of some kind of a comeback; I mean, there's not much you can say to something like that. I knew I'd done nothing to deserve Koji, or what he felt for me, I was aware of that to the fullest extent of anyone's abilities. But…now I couldn't even remember how it felt to live without him; who would want to anyway? I didn't have to be alone anymore, Koji would never push me away…would he? _…I never talk to Rowloamon about that…maybe I should go look for her today—Nonsense! There's water out there and Koji in swimming trunks and I'd pay to see that!_

I smile caught my mouth as I the mental image cleared my tattering mind of all doubts; I was an idiot to think that anything could ever make its way between Koji and me. These feelings were destiny, this truth was the only thing I was sure was no lie: We were forever, one of us would've known if it were anything but. _…Or…is what I keep thinking supposed to be like that…Am I the one who'll know? Or…what…?_

Shaking the thoughts from my head (literally), I pulled off the rest of my clothes and switched into the white, one-piece swimming suit. I tore out of the room before she could notice my scars and ask about them, while shouting back to answer her 'questions', "I don't deserve him, but he chose to stop and see me there despite that. I owe that subway train for helping me find him, 'cause I'm nothing without Koji."

Letting loose an uncontrollable smile and an extremely glee-filled, ear-splitting 'Woohoo!', I took off running for the beach, knowing by the lack of sound coming from the boys' changing rooms (and the compromise of sound that the water now had) that they were already out in the clear, inspiring ocean water. I could already hear them laughing in their fun; who would want to miss out on all that? I can list about a one people right now who wouldn't!

My feet sunk into the warm sand with a fast swish that I hadn't been expecting, nearly knocking my momentarily-uncoordinated self face first into the cleanly sand—I felt the need to take notice that there was no kind of pollution that the eye or microscope could see. I was about to go racing out into the water to join the others when I felt something faintly cold make a little clinking sound against my leg. I raised an eyebrow almost involuntarily as I glanced down and noticed my D-Tector, still attached to my belt loop…which was connected to my belt, which was still connected to me. _…How the hell did I get my jeans off…but fail to be rid of my freakin' belt?_

Pausing in a very pissed off manner, I fiddled with my belt, tearing at it and fighting against the lifeless piece of leather like it was trying to crawl up my torso and strangle me all by its self. Finally I was able to get the freakin' thing off, and now, of course, I had another dilemma: I was too close to seeing Koji in swimming trunks to want to run all the way back to the changing rooms and toss it through the window or something, and besides that building, I had nowhere to put my D-Tector that I would remember it. So, like any other sensible human being that was hyper on less than three and a half cream-filled bready treats, I made a dash over to Bokomon and Neemon (he was buried in sand; I didn't ask who tried to hide him from the Digital Authorities while I was gone).

Dropping my belt in Bokomon's lap—and waiting for him to actually notice I was standing there very still (that was a true accomplishment, 'cause when you're hyper, that's like, practically impossible)—I pointed at him, then at both my belt and ying-and-yang-similar D-Tector as I stated with a blank tone, my eagerness for wanting to get into the water hiding in whatever place it had found that was deep and dark, and that I'd forgotten about, "You. D-Tector—and belt. Watch, and don't let them crawl away from you like they were going to that last time that never actually happened but I pictured in my head about three seconds ago and had an internal laugh attack about. Okie dokie? Okie dokie!" _Ocean, here I come!_

Before Bokomon had the chance to decline my command of guarding both my belt and D-Tector, my head was already under the water, and I wouldn't have been able to hear him (or have been paying any attention anyway) even if he was shrieking 'Bloody murder!' through the mega-ist mega-phone he could get his little three-fingered paws on. I wouldn't have been listening even if he said there were free boxes of Zingers that the Toucanmon were giving away (mainly 'cause I already knew that…or had just nabbed three boxed while they weren't paying any attention).

In an instant I was finally only a few strokes away from the guys, and was happy as a lark to be in such a place. Actually, to be more specific of said location, I was only a few feet or so underneath Koji. And that reminded me of an idea that I'd been looking forward to for what seemed like an eternity. I mean, anyone would've thought of this, and nobody could've been able to stand waiting to just put it into action.

Lurching upwards, and also reaching as I did so, I swam up a bit higher in the deep blue water. As soon as I could actually reach him, I wrapped my arms around Koji's torso and dragged him under like a riptide, although being gentle enough so he didn't think a shark Digimon got hungry and decided to pick the group off one by one starting with him. I could feel him take a breath in before surging under to join me in the calmness; I smirked when I saw his hair flowing out around his face like some kind of mermaid dude. But without scales. Or a tail. And he wasn't gay.

Koji smiled lightly (Everything goes back to his element, doesn't it?) when he saw that it was me, and not some kind of psychotically creepy Digimon that liked to nab people and drown them. I blinked in my surprise when Koji suddenly blew a volley of air bubbles in my direction, grinning with a cute devilishness when the shiny spheres popped around us, the little digital particles glittering around us like tiny stars. _The human world's bubbles can't do that. This place is really incredible; I won't care if we never get the chance to go home._

After I was past my obsession with the prettiful bubbles that Koji had bombarded me with, I smirked with a demonic-ness of my own and dragged Koji close to me through the water, planting a kiss on his pretty mouth as I held him. I could feel the surprise through his touch and the blush dusting his cheeks—not that I was shocked at all; he probably didn't get kissed under water very often—but he soon relaxed into the strangeness of the new sensation, and I felt him begin to return the affection.

Just as soon as the bond between us was broken, I felt that now was the best time to repay him for the barrage of bubbly globes. Snorting the water out of my now tingling, burning-with-lack-of-oxygen nose, I opened my mouth and blew a round of bubbles right back at Koji while I was close to him before I was practically drowned by the water as it rushed into my mouth. Koji gave me a slightly irritated little glare at the attack, but couldn't hold the gesture forever and broke into a smile.

Both of us broke the surface gasping for air, but still smiling; as soon as I saw that Koji was enjoying my presence there in the water and didn't mind the fact I'd dragged him under and blown bubbles right in his face (note the fact he did that to me too), I got another plan for something to do. I tackled him right back under the water, engaging both of us in an underwater wrestling match. Not that we were the only two to join in on said round.

Takuya was under the water with us in less than what seemed like three and two quarters of a second (I figured he'd be the only one to actually come under and join in on the fun. JP was on his little floaty raft thing-a-ma-jig-ar, and Tommy couldn't swim well even if he'd wanted to.). I jerked up from the water level I was currently at, dragging Koji with me in a tender headlock (you had to be careful when you were doing this kind of thing under the surface of the water; the telepathic connection made it simple to know when either of us needed another breath of air before one of us was at the near-drowning stage), colliding head-on with Takuya, sending the three of us back up to the air-filled section of the world.

I wrapped my arms around both of their necks and burst into what was obviously random song; it was good that I wasn't the only one who felt like singing, or did I just pressure everybody else into it by starting? " What's the point of being in love? What's the point of being with someone you can't have?~ "

**Takuya**: " I know exactly how this will end, but for some reason I. Can't. Help myself. No, I just can't help myself!~ "

**JP**: " She likes, she likes, she likes to fight and make-up! She likes, she likes, she likes to be alone!~ "

**Koji**: " She likes, she likes the heartache of a break-up! She likes, she likes to be my bittersweet love!~ "

**Tommy, Bokomon, Neemon**: " Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na! Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na!~ "

**JP**: " All you do is let me down…~ "

**Koji**: " You pick me up and drag me around like a rag doll.~ "

**Toshiku**: " I sew myself together again, but for some reason I. Can't. Help myself. No, I just can't help myself!~ "

**Takuya**: " She likes, she likes, she likes to fight and make-up! She likes, she likes, she likes to be alone!~ "

**JP**: " She likes, she likes the heartache of a break-up! She likes, she likes to be my bittersweet love!~ "

**Tommy, Bokomon, Neemon**: " Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na! Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na! Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na! Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na!~ "

**Koji**: " She said, 'It's just not workin' out'.~ "

**Toshiku**: " I said, 'Hey doll, quit freakin' out! We've been through this too many times! Why can't you just make up your mind?~ "

**Tommy, Bokomon, Neemon**: " Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na! Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na!~ "

**Takuya**: " She likes, she likes, she likes to fight and make-up! She likes, she likes, she likes to be alone!~ "

**Koji**: " She likes, she likes the heartache of a break-up! She likes, she likes to be my bittersweet love!~ "

**JP**: " She likes, she likes, she likes to fight and make-up! She likes, she likes, she likes to be alone!~ "

**Toshiku**: " She likes, she likes the heartache of a break-up! She likes, she likes to be my bittersweet love!~ "

**Everyone**: " Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na! Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na! Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na! Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na!~ "

"Woo!" I let out a loud whoop as I gave my head a toss, flipping my drenched hair back over my shoulder. Releasing both Koji and Takuya from my grasp, I raced back onto the beach, yet another idea forming in my mind—I got very creative and inventive when I was hyper. If Bokomon had both an egg and a book in his pants, why not a camera? And there was always Neemon if no luck could be found with the horned digi-radish. "We should so make an album!"

I knelt down in front of both Bokomon and Neemon before gesturing to my belt and questioning, "You know how you both wear stuff that called pants, right? Well, I hope you realize that. But nevertheless, do either of you have a shiny, metallic-y, rectangular-ish thing that can go _snap_ and a flash goes off and then you can remember something forever, or, at least as long as the thingy it gives you lasts, which is called a picture. And the other one is a camera…Either of ya got one?"

"Hmm…let me check…" Neemon stated as he dug inside one of the pockets of his scarlet pants; it was the tiniest bit strange that I could hear the sound of pots and pans clattering around inside there, but I didn't think to ask. I almost fell flat on my face from astonishment when Neemon actually did pull a camera out of what seemed like nowhere, but was, in reality, his pocket. "Aha! I always wondered what in sock's name this was!"

Ignoring the fact that Neemon had been able to find a camera here in the Digital World in the first place, I picked it up from his outstretched paw. Jumping up from the ground, I gestured with a smile for the two Digimon—three if you included Seraphimon's egg—to follow me over the group of confused boys standing in a semi-circle kind of shape. I'd taken about two steps away when I stopped mid-step, and re-traced my steps; picking up my D-Tector, I raced back over to the guys.

Thrusting my own D-Tector forward to assert my point, I said to all of them, pointing with my thumb back at the changing rooms structure, "Go get your D-Tectors, all of you. I wanna take a group picture; I don't want to forget any of you, and I'm not embarrassed to say that in front of you guys either. Despite what you may think, I live to embarrass both myself, and you while I'm at it. So. D-Tectors. Retrieve."

While they all ran back and nabbed their D-Tectors from wherever they'd put them, I just kinda stood there on the beach struggling to remember how to work a camera. It had been such a long time since I'd last used one, I wasn't even sure I _could_ recall how; the only thing I could figure was how to turn the little device on. My _D-Tector_ was easier to understand than this piece of crap.

"Toshiku," I didn't even look up from the camera as Koji and the others ran back over to me; Koji had been the one to call out my name. It was a thing of beauty to hear Koji say one's name; there was always a different tone depending on who's name he was saying, making each and every single syllable unique in its own way, but still similar because it was being pronounced by Koji himself. He always made me feel all tingly inside whenever we talked, or whenever we so much as shared a glance at one another. "I'm going to steal my hair band back from you, who stole it from me, so I don't look like some kind of gay guy in swimming shorts."

I turned away from the now cooperating camera to the pony-tail-lacking Koji with a smile of gleeful deviousness traced across my face. I yanked the band from around my wrist with a flash of a grin before waving it back and forth in front of Koji's nose, taunting him as I teased, "Only if you let me play with your hair, KojKoj~!" I also took the opportunity to poke him on the nose while he was distracted (and sidetracking him is not very simple, let me tell you); I was having a grand ole' time.

Glaring at me with definetly irritated expression, Koji rolled his eyes at my price, but was obviously thinking it over with his elaborately schemeful brain. However, my offer won him over, and a puff of a sigh escaped his lips, letting me know for sure that I now had the chance to do practically anything that came to mind with his spiffily pretty hair. I let out a small little squeak as I jumped behind him, and wasted no time in screwing around with his hair.

After nearly leaving permanent lines in my hands from running my fingers through and around the sleek, raven-shaded locks, I caved and put it all back up into the style it was supposed to be in. His hair was starting to dry now, making it simple to handle, even though his was the type to always do whatever you wanted it to. It was super spiffy like that.

When Takuya, Tommy, and JP finally got back with their D-Tectors, we arranged ourselves on the sand in a semi-decent straight line, Bokomon and Neemon standing on either end. Making sure that it was on the self-timed setting, I set it down on the ground, and got back in line with the guys. And I was fully aware that Zoe was still in the changing rooms for whatever reason, probably because she was still having difficulty figuring out which suit she wanted to wear, not that it really made any difference in my mind. It's not like they weren't all going to the exact same place in the end.

Knowing that the boys understood the purpose of a camera, I left them to make any pose that came to their brains first. I thrusted my D-Tector out before me like I was about to make a big show out of spirit-evolving or something (I'd been wanting to make this pose before turning into Wereraiomon for a while now, but had never found an enemy quite worth it yet. Nor had I remembered to yet.), putting on the best confident, combatant-like grin that I could conjure up while still being just a teensy bit hyper.

Suddenly a flash of black and red (and a speck of yellow and green too!) crossed my line of sight, the unexpected surprise nearly knocking me over backwards onto the ground—JP actually did fall on his _oshiri_ when the same vision pretty much ran him over like a chipmunk that didn't look both ways before crossing the street. A look of 'What the seiko just happened?' crossed everyone else's face (including mine, except I was a bit closer to shouting than just inquiring), then we heard the culprit.

Make that four, laughing, Mickey-Mouse-pantsed Digimon that I couldn't even tell apart without their apparent disguises; each one of them had at least one D-Tector in their hand/wing. I couldn't blame them for finding their oddly simple plan of grab-and-scram hilarious though; it was a bit humorous for everything and everyone but us that we were so enveloped in relaxing and letting the stress from fighting all the time that we hadn't noticed them come running up to us. "Now that we have the Spirits," I could hear them shouting, "All we need to do is find our ravishing Ranamon!"

"Wow…" Takuya seemed just as bewildered as the rest of us at the sudden offensive move played by the Toucanmon; I mean, they didn't look like the type that could be that 'smart', and then move that incredibly freakin' slow. Even Koji hadn't seen that coming, and he was usually the one who was actually paying a bit of attention to our surroundings. "That was embarrassing…"

"You bet the goggles you aren't even wearing right now even though they're swimming gear it was!" I exclaimed as my hyperness suddenly faded from my system like the brilliant colors of a fire before water was thrown over it, drenching the wood, and murdering the fire with a hiss of a scream. "Does anybody have a proposition on what the hell to do now?"

Koji seemed to be the only semi-calm one at the moment; he was probably the only one with a brain who was actually putting it to good use. Right before I was about to sprint after the extremely slow-moving bird Digimon, he put his hand on my shoulder, making me stop and turn around to face him. My pissed expression faded from my face when I saw the utter sereneness within the pools of navy blue, only illuminated by the clear white of his eyes. They were like knives with the way they could cut through you; or a needle with the way they could sew you back together when you tore yourself apart.

It was a wonder how they seemed to melt your pain away like a torch to the ice hanging down from the ceiling of a mountain's cavern, the meltable solid dripping freezing water down on your face every time you looked up to admire the deep, frozen blueness of the ice and thick, condensed snow. He could set your heart aflame with one single glance, with the smallest bat of his eyelashes, the tiniest flicker of a smile from those tender lips; it was a wonder that every girl in the world wasn't stalking him—

"…Toshiku?—Stop staring at me like a deer with the hots for headlights for a second and listen, would you?"

Shaking my trance of Koji wonderfulness from my head—or, at least hiding it away so I could come back and finish reminiscing his beautifulness (inside and out, I had all kinds of things to rave about dealing with his persona) later-,seeing the blank expression of irritation on his face near immediately. _…I think he's getting pissed off…I probably should've anticipated he was going to say something._

_"You bet that collar of yours you should've, Toto,"_ Koji thought to me with a taunting smirk, obviously happy that he knew the 'Wizard Of Oz' people just as well as I did, or, at least enough to be able to make me his little fuzzy pet in a basket. Even though he really didn't look like the type to sit and stare at the evil flying monkeys, all the while commanding them to submit to his every whim and command. Okay, so maybe he did seem like the type to have a sudden break down and scream something like that at the top of his lungs. _Koichi would probably join him. _

I tuned my whole head back into Koji's vocals when he sent me a look that said, 'If you don't pay attention this time, you aren't coming anywhere near me for the rest of the week'. That sure as hell got me to pay attention; not that I wasn't going to in the first place, but it was something to keep in mind so I didn't get sidetracked. Again. "I said, 'With the way the Toucanmon waddle, there's no way they could get very far. We should have time to go back and change into our clothes.' Did you catch any of that?"

"Yeah, 'course I did!" I replied with a hint of sarcasm, grabbing his arm and starting to drag him back to the dressing rooms, knowing inside that even if the Toucanmon moved that slowly, it would only be a matter of time before they found a place on the island that we didn't know about. Or even found a way to get off the island once and for all. "What do you think I am? Some kind of idiot who doesn't pay attention to a thing people say sometimes—Okay, maybe that's not a very good question to ask…"

* * *

"Come out, come out, wherever you are! Pretty please?" I could hear Takuya shouting from down below the tree branch I was perched on like a Blue Jay crystal clear, almost like he was screaming right into tunnel of my ear. Not that it was really that hard to believe; the sad little goggle-hat-wearing-fire-dragon-boy-dude down there could get pretty freakin' loud if he really wanted to. I was willing to be that he was one of those people that could break a glass with their voice. And that he was in that group that would be holding the glass, and smash it against the wall behind them.

I heard a grunt come from behind me, and was nearly knocked out of the tree when Koji jumped up onto the branch I was on, standing practically right on top of me. With one leg on each side of me—either he hadn't noticed I was sitting there, or he didn't mind—he just scanned the beach as far as the human eye could see, more likely than not, looking for any sign of the Toucanmon whatsoever. I'd tell him 'I told you so; they can too move faster than an old lady's waddle', but I didn't. It wasn't Koji's fault that we couldn't find the Toucanmon, if it was anyone's, it was mine. It was because of my idea that we were that distracted, and weren't prepared for the Toucanmon to do something like that.

Sighing and glancing down at the ground, I saw JP crouch down—for whatever reason; don't know why he'd think that digging a hole in the ground is gonna help us find a clue as to where the Toucanmon ran off to—then suddenly spring up with a look of extreme pain and discomfort on his face before running around shouting, his voice turning into a whine at the end, "Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!" I couldn't help but wonder what the hell he was shrieking about. But even that show of moronicness wasn't enough to pull me out of the slump that losing my hyperness had put me in. Almost demonstrating said emotion, my shoulders drooped slightly from their normal good-postured position, and my head fell to the side, resting against Koji's leg.

"Comfy are you?" Koji asked me with a heaping helping of sarcasm all over his tone, his stormy ocean eyes smiling down at me from above; I forced a grin back onto my face as my reply, wrapping my arms around his leg and hugging him to me. "I think that'll qualify as, 'You bet your bandana I am!'." Koji chuckled as I nodded in agreement, him having said precisely what I would've replied with. I assumed it was just because of the telepathic connection between me and the other Warriors. With how Zoe was acting, it felt like I should be keeping a closer eye on her, and backing off from Koji a bit more. If she kept thinking that Koji and I had the hots for each other (not that I, by any means, wanted otherwise), she would make sure that the whole Digital World knew (on an estimated scale), and that might effect our mission of saving said world.

I jumped down a few branches before looking back up at a slightly puzzled Koji; he was usually the one to walk away from a hug, or any kind of physical show of affection. This was, as far as I could remember, a pretty simply done first for me. Giving him a brief wave of my hand before turning away and heading back to the Toucan Paradise building, I called back up to him, trying to be loud enough so he could hear me down on the ground, but also keeping hushed as not to alert the others, "You're adorable Koji; I'd huggle you every moment I got if I didn't have Toucanmon and a couple D-Tectors to find."

I was literally astounded to find myself walking away, arms folded up behind my head as I walked over to the wooden structure. Should I have been able to practically ignore Koji like that, treat that moment of fluffiness like it meant nothing to me? Koji'd looked utterly shocked when I had; I'd turned around and walked away before I'd seen any sign of hurt cross his face though, maybe it hadn't bothered him at all. I hoped with all my mind that it had just been a bit of a, 'Well, that was kinda weird' moment for him, and that was it.

Before I was even back to the building yet, I could heard Takuya already. I could hear him complaining, but even that couldn't get me any more riled up than I was when I saw the look on Zoe's face when she saw me coming back, Koji trailing a ways behind me. It was an expression that read pretty frickin' clear, 'Did little _Tenshi_ have a fight with her _boyfriend_?' I snarled at her, wishing immediately that I hadn't been so stupid while I was sugar-high, that I hadn't thought to get the D-Tectors, and had just gotten the _chikushou_ picture without them. The only thing I didn't get was why Zoe would even care if (If, if, if, if, if, if, if! The word, 'if', to me, if repeated many, many times, meant never. At least I was hoping my brain could remember to remember that.) Koji and I ever got into it about something.

I let out another pent-up sigh before plopping down next to Tommy and a I-think-I'm-gonna-die-from-the-utter-exhaustion-of-looking-for-four-birds-I-can-barely-even-remember-the-names-of-for-about-two-hours Takuya. _Look on the bright side Takuya, or if you can't figure out which side is brighter, look at Koji, that works too. At least you don't have to worry about Zoe thinking that she's always right like she always does and blabbing to the whole chikushou Digital World about your personal affairs, and ruining any chance of getting any alone-time with said brighter side._

Leaning up against the foundation of the Toucan Paradise, and snatching Takuya's hat from off of his head as I did so, I mumbled to pretty much no one as I placed the hat up on my head, keeping the visor between my eyes and the sun's rays, "Wake me when we gotta look for the bird boys again…" Closing my eyes, and breathing in the scent of Takuya from the hat, I could hear a few sighs coming from everyone as we finally started to rest, like we'd wanted to in the first place.

But that was extremely short-lived; with an unexpected energy, Takuya suddenly leapt up off the bench and ran out onto the beach, everyone making some kind of a move to follow him as he shouted, "Hey! It's the Toucanmon!" As soon as I heard the word 'Toucanmon', I sprung up also, tearing the hat from my head as I ran up alongside Takuya. Tossing the hat back up on to Takuya's own head, I looked up and glowered at the Toucanmon; I'd be able to get at them if I spirit evolved to Raveamon, easy as pie. But what would the group say when they saw me turn into her? As far as I knew, none of them actually knew of the bond we had no choice but to share, and at the very least, they probably hadn't noticed that I never used my D-Tector to evolve into that form. _Maybe I should wait. They don't look like they're even capable of getting all the way over to that island. Oh, wait, never mind, they're landing._

"Look!" Tommy exclaimed, even though all of us could plainly see what they were doing. It wasn't like we'd lost our sight and were beginning to go blind because of the Digital ocean water or something. Or at least I hoped nothing like that would happen. "They're landing over there!"

"Right!" Before any of us even had a moment to tell him to stop and actually think of a plan on how to actually _get_ the D-Tectors back from the Toucanmon, Takuya seemed to already be ten miles out of hearing range, heading in the general direction of the next island. "Don't let 'em get away; we can swim over!"

"I'll race you there!" Zoe remarked, obviously quite happy with how annoyed she was getting with all the little peppy comments and _kuso_. She was obviously working hard to get me on my last nerve of the day like she always wanted to. _Dude, I need a Red Bull, or some Nyquil or something. Ear plugs at the very least. _

"Tommy, you guys wait here—" I didn't know how to explain the sound he made next other than that of a dying cat being shot by AK-47 military gun while tripping and falling into a body of water. _My my, Takuya, what pizzazz with sounds you have._ He came up in a hurry, spluttering and gasping for air like he'd only ever tasted it once in his life, and couldn't bear not having that knowledge of its sweet essence in his system. _Wow, breathe or walk much there, Ta-kun?_

I let out a slightly bothered groan-sigh-sound before walking out into the water after both of them, leaving Koji, JP, Tommy, and the Digimon to sit and wait to see what would happen. Approaching Takuya, who was sitting in the water just staring at the white and purple seal-creature with vividly emerald eyes as it virtually hugged his foot, even though those six black claws didn't make it look very cuddly, I nearly jumped back when the little creature stuck its head up out of the water, snickering cutely to itself for no reason other than the fact that it wasn't illegal.

The little white creature that Bokomon (there's a lot of little, fluffy white creatures in this world) stated with a matter-of-fact-ness that only he could ever possibly have was apparently a Gomamon released Takuya's foot as I extended a hand to him, offering to help him up silently. He just stared up at me, his face turning a bolder and bolder cherry-pink, making a few little anxious squeaks before he finally forced himself to at least act a bit courageous and grip my hand, allowing me to pull him back up.

The brunette nodded his thanks to me, letting go of my hand and placing his own back into the pocket of his pants, looking away from me and back at the Gomamon as it began to speak while they all began to make their way to the sandy beach, "We wouldn't be very good friends if we let you go out there. The water looks so cuddly and inviting, but really it's very dangerous." _Heheh, sounds just like Koji to me._ I grinned at the thought as I trudged back through the shallow water, joining everyone yet again on the beach.

Gazing over at the island, this time actually looking for anything other than the Toucanmon, I noticed some things I hadn't before: One, the fact that you could hear the sound of hazardously fast water if you really listened; and two, all the white, frothy foam around the island just didn't seem quite right to me. "So, does it have something to do with all the bubbly—" _Heheh, that was a wicked awesome kiss…_ "—foam around the cliffs?"

The Gomamon that had grabbed Takuya's foot nodded his head sadly, all of their faces becoming a very downcast expression in one simultaneous motion as he told us, "Yes, all that foam is actually caused by a whole bunch of whirlpools. We're all safe here, but if you were to get too close, they'd suck you in and never spit you out—" _That sounds a lot like the vacuum JP was telling me that story about. I still find it kinda hard to believe that his Aunt Mabel's hand-held vacuum was trying to catch him so it could shoot him out the second-story window. _"—and even if you could get past them, you'd get slammed up against the cliffs that surround the only beach you can land on," Their faces looked like they'd just seen a squirrel get crushed by the wheels of a Prius as they finished up explaining to us. "We know all about it because we used to live there."

_I doubt that we're going to be needing any more explanation than that; it's pretty obvious that they can't get past the whirlpools to go back home. Tommy or somebody's probably going to go into this huge thing about wanting to bring them with us, like he wanted to bring that freaky oshiri Monzaemon with us after we got out of that Toyland place in one piece. _My expression suddenly turned into one similar to that of the Gomamon when I remembered that Weregarumon had been with us back then. I let out a quiet sigh to calm myself; how long had it actually been since I'd seen that little Digi-wolf pup?

Bokomon had said we'd see him again some day, but I seriously doubted it; it wasn't like people, or Digimon for that matter, could just come back and show themselves to you whenever they saw it fit for both schedules. If that was anywhere close to true, even enough to be anywhere near it, I wouldn't wait for my next heartbeat to have tried to find a way to get in touch with him again. Or my brother for that matter.

I'd been oddly cruel to him the few days leading up to the car accident, and I hadn't even known why at the time; not that we were perfect children by any means though. We would get into spats every now and then, but they were always small, and were usually over in about an hour or so, and we would be back to doing whatever again like nothing had happened. That hadn't been the case at all for those conscious hours that we saw each other, be it at home, or even at school. I could remember almost everything I did clearly: I'd hit him. A lot. I'd given him bruises, cuts, and knocked one of his teeth out (lucky enough for everybody, it had been the tooth he'd needed pulled anyway, even though that didn't excuse my behavior at all).

Mum and Dad had both talked with my on multiple occasions, trying to figure out just why I was being so spiteful to Daijiro after having gotten along with him so well for the rest of my nine-year-old life. But I'd just been vindictive right at them too when they tried to help me; I could hear myself screaming at them almost as if I was saying every word out loud right now, '_Seiko o shattodaun_! Screw you, and screw this _kuso_! Get away; leave me the hell alone!'

Dad had scolded me coldly through the closed door of my room, telling me that he hoped I was happy that I'd made my mother cry with what I'd shouted at them. He'd said that I'd better clean up my act, that I had to figure out whatever my problem was, and that if I was going to be like that, I'd have to solve it on my own. But now, I did know what my problem had been for those few days, and even now and then nowadays: It had to have been Cherubimon, it was impossible to think that I could've made such a sudden change overnight without help from the darkness within me being released from the cage I kept it all in deep within me, where nothing and no one could touch it. But that only made room for another question: How had Cherubimon known that I hid the key to my darkness in the presence of my brother? In the strong heart of my mother? Through the strength of my father's trust and pride in me? –

"Hey! Ku-kun! You okay over there? Or should I throw another pebble?" I hurriedly rubbed my eyes with my sleeve when I heard Takuya coming up to me; I didn't want anyone to see the tears building up behind my eyes. I didn't want to be asked if something was wrong. That only meant more lies, a deeper and deeper hole, farther and farther down into the consuming darkness. Eventually, if I didn't stop, I might not even be able to come up and breathe again.

I sent Takuya a sideways glance as he ran up to my side, smiling his normal goofball grin; it was the kind of expression that you just couldn't resist smiling back at even if you were feeling worse than _kuso_. I rested my hand on his shoulder, squeezing in gently as I smiled back at him. "Yeah, peachy as Koichi, Ta-kun. Peachy as Koichi."

"Uh, who's Koichi?" Takuya questioned with puzzlement; I remembered a few seconds afterwards that I was the only one here who actually knew who the heck Koichi was. _Speaking of puzzles, Koichi seems like the type to be able to take one look at the box and solve the thing in under two and a half seconds. Heheh, I can see Koji now, '…How the heck did you _do_ that?'_

Smirking at the mental motion picture going on in my brain, I patted Takuya's shoulder before shaking my head, dismissing the question with the simple gesture. Looking past him, I could see JP crouched in the dirt drawing something out with a stick (wonder what _he's_ doing…), Zoe was stealing all of the curtains and drapes from the beach house, and Tommy and Bokomon were hauling a log with Neemon riding it like some kind of horseman would over to a fairly large pile of limbs similar to it, all that while Neemon was shouting, "Yee-haw! Giddy-up Branchie!"

Takuya laughed, his creamy honey-hued eyes giggling right alone with him, their shine like that of the light dancing through the wooded forests (He had such a sweet laugh. He was merry and happy like Santa Claus, but wasn't immortal—as far as I knew—and wasn't as creepy as a guy in a gay fur suit breaking into your house through your chimney. I'd always wondered how the hell he got into apartments though. They probably had to buzz his _oshiri_ in. _Beep. _'Santa Claus. I've got something for your kids' Who in Kamisama's name would open the freakin' door? I know I would, but I'd just do it so I could shoot the hell out of him—Wow, can we say 'off topic'?) when he saw the obvious confusion in my eyes, and started on explaining while pointing everyone out again, "Okay, while you were in your own little world, Zoe had a big speech about missing friends and family and depression and if she hadn't stopped I probably would've started crying and hugged the closest person to me—which, luckily, was you—and, uh…Heheh, umm, so, we're gonna build a raft, and take all the Gomamon back home to that island that the Toucanmon landed on.

"So, why don't you go help out Tommy and Bokomon? I don't think Neemon's really doing them much good." He snickered again, his cheeks a light pink from the whole hugging thing that I could hear him wishing he hadn't mentioned while I was standing right there, having been listening as intently as I was and all.

I gave him my best, 'Don't worry, I actually wouldn't have minded that' smirk, and squeezed his shoulder one more time before taking off after Tommy and Bokomon, who were now running back up the trail of footprints they'd made the last few times they'd taken a log to the pile. Then I hit me, like an atomic bomb, it whacked me over the head: Where the heck was Koji?

But my question was answered almost instantly when I heard a few grunts coming from none other than said raven-haired boy as he used a steel machete (Honestly, at first I thought he'd stolen Luke Skywalker's light saber.) to chop down another tree. For a moment, I thought he was going to use the old 'timber!' line, but nope. He got 'creative'. Raising up one hand as an apparent signal to Bokomon and Tommy (Neemon didn't count; he'd fallen asleep on the log they were to be carrying next), he called out, "Heave away!"

I snorted with a bit of laughter at the phrase, catching Koji's attention as soon as the sound left my mouth. Koji's eyes tracked the sound back to me, and the two pools of navy-ness danced with cheerfulness as I came up to him. I leaned up against the tree opposite the one he was now working on, when suddenly Koji stated something I'd never really expected him to ever say, "You know, I never knew that Zoe could be so obnoxious, but then turn it all into a pretty convincing speech. I never would've guessed that she was that sentimental and understanding about a person's problems.

"I'm surprised too, that you were able to stand there and just stare out over the ocean during all that mushy conversing. What was on your mind?" There it was; that question again. It was just rephrased not to seem like it, not to make a person shy away from it like a little puppy that's run away from its abusive owners. Hearing Koji talk about Zoe like that made me want to join that puppy in getting away from everyone.

My silence didn't break as I thought, but soon my thoughts were just too intricate and complicated to even be able to disguise them with something harmless and unmeaningful. I was about to shake my head and tell him what I always did whenever that inquiry presented itself, that everything was fine, and nothing was really there, but I heard Koji utter a small 'ouch…!', and I sprung towards him like I had slinkies on the bottoms of my shoes. "What's wrong, Wolfie-Boy? What happened?" _Wolfie-Boy. Huh, that's a new one._

The Light Warrior sent me a raised eyebrow at the new pet name, and was about to make a remark about it when I saw that he'd dropped the machete, and was tightly gripping his now bleeding hand. Reaching forward with utmost care, I took Koji's injured hand in both of mine, cradling it like you would with a little baby rabbit or something. After seeing that it wasn't as bad as I'd originally thought, I released that hand and grasped his other arm, dragging him away from the tree and back down to the edifice. "C'mon KojKoj, let me clean that up for you. Wouldn't want you to get an infection here in the Digital World—not calling Neemon a bad surgeon, but I doubt that you'd enjoy that."

"Whatever gave you that idea, Toto?" Koji muttered back in reply, making me grin and blush a bit at the name. The raven-haired warrior didn't seem like the type to give names that cutesy; I was practically ecstatic that I'd been lucky enough to be the one person here who stayed off his nerves enough to be able to be this close to him. I didn't know about him, but I knew that I'd be a complete wreck in this world, this perfect place that just seemed to be dying more and more everyday, this scene that was completely centered on attacking one's vital signs, if it wasn't for Koji's care for me.

But then again, because of those feelings, Koji'd been hurt many times; again and again, my enemies had learned of how important he was to me, and they would always remember how easily it would be to use him as a deal. 'When you give up your spirits, you get him back' seemed to be the favorite line of all the Digimon that used Koji as some kind of hostage, a pawn in their own little game. That just plain pissed me off.

I dragged Koji up the steps, and sat him down on one of the stools beside the table. Leaving for a moment to locate some kind of antiseptic and cleanser, and hopefully a bandage or something while I was at it when I heard the raven-boy call from the other area, "It's really not that bad. And besides, it'll only take another couple of swings to get that tiny little tree down, so, I don't need any of this." I smirked at his tone; it was wavering slightly with anxiousness, and I could hear the faint sound of his fingers drumming on the table with the same sentiment to each beat. Koji was making it quite clear that he wasn't a big fan of hospitals, or doctors for that matter.

"Don't worry, KojKoj," I taunted him flippantly as I snatched a roll of pre-wrap and a freaky-shaped bottle that reminded me of one of those curly pencils, labeled as, 'Unknown'. _…I'm not putting that on Koji. _Throwing it back into the cabinet, I chose a different bottle, this one looking a bit more human-normal than the last; it didn't have a label, or direction for that matter, but I recognized the smell enough for it to be a cleanser. "I'm not licensed—Oh, wait, that's probably not what you wanted to hear, was it?"

A small, tentative groan escaped Koji's lips as I walked back into the room, causing a remorseful little grin on my usually pleased expression; I shouldn't have said something like that to him. That had been a bit more than what was necessary to have been spoken. Koji wouldn't have poked fun at something I had a bit of a phobia for; I knew he would respect that it frightens me, and wouldn't do something uncalled for like I had. _Toshiku, you better find a freakin' good way to apologize for that. I'm gonna kick your oshiri if you don't. But we're the same person; I'm talking to myself, what am I gonna do to me, kill me? Don't get any ideas, bonkura. You kill me, and I've got no choice but to bring you along._

I moved over to a silent Koji, and placing the healing tools on the table behind him, I kneeled down in front of him. I reached up to run my fingers across his warm cheek before twirling his bangs around my index finger. "_Gomen nasai_, Koji, I was just trying to make you laugh—" He let out a small scoff at that; _that didn't go over well_. "—…But I can clearly tell that wasn't what I should've done…this is!" I untangled Koji's hair from my fingers before attacking him mercilessly, tickling his ribcage and making him jump at the sudden sensation, nearly falling onto the floor in his surprise.

_That_ wiped the glumness from his face in a matter of milliseconds; his laughter grew high-pitched as he tried to get me to stop, begging me to knock it off. After a couple of minutes of him having a laugh attack, tears beginning to build up in his eyes, and barely being able to breathe through all of his giggling, Koji finally just curled in on himself, blocking any ticklish area of his body.

"Koji…" I whined, poking him and trying to fit my hand past his curled up legs to tickle his stomach again (he squeaked super cutely when you did that; he clearly didn't like that he did, so it made him blush too). But Minamoto-boy (Ooo! Cool, 'nother new one) just tried to keep a straight face and shook his head, fully prepared to wait me out.

I sighed sadly and sat back down in on a chair next to him, surrendering in the Tickling War against Koji. I raised both my hands so Koji could see them from whatever angle he would see me from, and tried hard to keep a blank face as I admitted said defeat, "Okay Koji, I give, I give. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to heal your wound. I won't jump at you with another surprise attack, alright?"

"I don't know about that, Toshiku," Koji sighed with what sounded like contentment as he leaned back against the table, crossing one leg over the other and folding his arms behind his head, being sure to keep his injured palm away from me (I was sorely tempted to forget about my surrender and tickle him again). He glanced over at me with a little devilish glint hiding within the happy little sparkle in his Caribbean-Ocean-blue eyes. "That might not be enough…" He batted his eyelashes at me, succeeding in keeping a sweetly innocent expression on his flawless face. _KojKoj-kun is acting funny; I think he might've gotten one of the Zingers out of the box._

"Oh!" I faked an epiphany, clasping a hand to my cheek like someone had just slapped me upside the face. "I think I know what you want, _Princess_." Embracing Koji's torso, I towed his chair closer to mine, and held him tight as I repeatedly kissed his cheek, placing each one with a loud smooching sound and making them as slobbery as I could.

The Wolf Warrior's face was warm against my lips as I continued to slaver all over his cheek, his slight annoyance not showing through very well past his hot blush. "Toshiku! " Koji protested against the slobbering cutely, attempting to pull away, but was obviously not planning on going through with it since he was barely even trying to get away from the kisses. That, and I'd kinda pinned his arms against his sides in the process of grabbing him. "Knock it off! You're drooling all over me!"

"To_shi_ku!" I stopped kissing Koji's face for a moment when I heard someone else whine my name. I was half expecting it to be Zoe or Takuya, but was honestly caught off my guard when it was Tommy's voice. _What could he be calling me for? Can he not see that I'm a bit busy right now? _"_I_ was gonna do that!"

"…Are you freakin' kidding me?" Koji sat straight up and started to swivel around back and forth\, trying to locate where Tommy's voice was coming from, both of their reactions kinda sorta ruining the moment. _Well, thank you, Tommy. That was sure as hell appreciated by me. I'd drop-kick you if you wouldn't tell Takuya and get his panties all in a bunch._ "Where are you, you little pervert?"

* * *

"Here we go!" Takuya exclaimed with a glee I didn't know he could have when simply talking about shoving off onto the water and heading for what felt like certain doom (at least from the whirl pools' side of this story anyways; we were surely heading straight for our demise). Not that that bothered me; there wasn't anything that could make me frightened (like I could hear Tommy was right now), at least nothing that I couldn't overcome like the homicidal maniac in what seemed like every single horror movie.

I could swim like I'd been born to (it took forever to be able to learn how to do such, but I'd had a lot of time on my hands some days); therefore, I wasn't afraid of the water, or any living or animated thing in the water itself. I'd been burned, I knew what it was like to be set aflame (Hiroshi; who else would do that to someone who just happened to be wearing white that day, reminding said _rokudenashi_ of a _chikushou_ marshmallow?), the pain didn't matter; for all I cared, it felt good. I wasn't scared of being hurt; anyone could hurt me for all that mattered. I wouldn't _ki ni suru_. The dark didn't matter to me, and neither did the want of having a light to illuminate the gloom of said nothing. I could survive in the darkness alone without a light to guide the fall of my feet, unlike some bratty _subeta_ that was leaning up against the same _chikushou_ barrel (Tommy was inside it, he was hugging me; I didn't know how to get him off without touching him; I didn't want to get a perverted virus; not that I got sick often, but still, who would want that?) I was resting alongside.

Tommy made a few quite frightened sounding noises (See? I knew he was freaked out of his itty bitty little brainy mind) as he whimpered, although trying to disguise it with the twinge of a kind pleading in his throat, "Can we not rock the boat so much?" I glanced back at the frightened little boy who had his arms wrapped around my torso like some kind of air bag, or seat belt. _If he tries to drag me into that barrel of his…_

Something snapping in my brain and flinging out to stab every other part of my brain like barbed wire, I reached down and fought my way out of the big-hat-wearing-kid's grasp, crushing his small wrists in my own vice-grip and snarling back at him for the physical communication. My usual happy expression that was always faked wasn't even there now, I was going numb from the tips of my ears to my toes, but I could still sense that I looked like a demonic being; my dimming eyes boiling over with the rage that was now making my curled lip twitch like some kind of monster, I allowed an utterly low growl that made him shudder with fear and forced extremely scared sounds to come out of his delicate throat. _Zoe would let Tommy cling to she's some kind of Barbie doll that you can do whatever pleases you to. I'll never be like that; I won't let anyone change me. No one._ "Let go of me, you—"

"Toshiku? What are you doing?" The Warrior of Wind shouted at me like it was her own hand I was cutting the circulation from; I could feel his pulse against my palms, I'd memorized each surge of live-giving blood as the _subeta_ just to my left spoke in her whiny little voice, annoying me to the point I wished it was her wrists I was strangling. "You're scaring Tommy—" She gasped when said little kid suddenly cried out in sheer pain; everyone jumped at me at once, each person trying to separate my death-grip from around Tommy's wrists as I heard him begin to sob in both his agony and his horror. My clasp wasn't only tight enough to keep any blood from getting through to his fingers, and squeezing all of the air out from between the two sets of skin, but I had nails; I could break right through his snow-pale skin. "Toshiku, stop it! You're hurting him!"

_"Tesh-Tesh! Please! Stop! W-why do you want to hurt me, shimai—Itai!"_

I stopped, startled and dismayed by the voice, my black-shaded eyes suddenly shuttered closed like someone pulling curtains down over an open window. Why did I keep hearing Daijiro's voice in my head, and in all of my dreams, be it day or night? What about the darkness kept on bringing him back? Or…was it, 'What about _him_ keeps bringing the _darkness_ back'?

A warm liquid dripped from my fingers into the water, the crimson life turning a sickening black as the natural chemicals in the salty water began to deconstruct its particles, making it just like it. Just like it. _Oh…my head…I can't keep this up for much longer…I'll be six feet under if I keep doing all this…And I won't be the only one…_

I heard the thump of me collapsing onto the raft, but I couldn't feel worth crap anymore. My senses left me one by one: Sight and strength left me like a fleeting glance of love; breathing came naturally to everyone, but all I could really smell was the strong scent of freshly chopped wood and the ocean water just beneath us; my hearing was last to leave.

I could almost clearly hear Zoe saying something about how it was so stupid that they kept me here with them when all I seemed to do was fight them like they were all meant to be my enemies. She was shooting out answer after answer to everyone's convincing that I could fix all my faults, and that I just needed a bit of help to get trekking, and then that would be that with all of the sudden temperamental-seeming attacks. No matter what anyone said, she had something else to tell them about why I was a worthless thing to have around.

But then everything grew eerily silent, and I wasn't sure if Zoe'd just made her point, and the guys were starting to realize that she might just be right, or if my hearing had just left me momentarily deaf as a cloud of unconsciousness swept over me like the night over the green grasses of prairies, turning them into hunting grounds for every predator, and death traps for everything but.

_

* * *

_

"Why can't you care about me like I care about you?"

_"How come you don't keep the promises you made to me?"_

_"You've already hurt me a few times, and JP. Don't you know it's only a matter of time until you hurt him too?"_

_"You said you'd be my friend. Since when do friends hurt friends?"_

_"Promise me you were strong did you? If you're so tough, why can't you stop _yourself_?"_

_"When will 'the end' finally mean that all this hurt is over for all of us?"_

_"I know you're nowhere near the angel Daijiro was by his own nature, but couldn't you have at least tried to be the girl we wanted?"_

_"How could you do that to him? How do you get up and live every day, Toshiku, knowing that you hurt so many innocent people?"_

_"Did you like to see me in pain? Was that why? Do you have a fetish for watching everyone suffer, blaming the world for your own, but causing everyone else's hurt all by yourself?"_

_"You have light within you; why don't you give into _that_ and stop before it's too late for anyone?"_

_"You know just as well as I do that you're not what I need; you're not even what I want. Why are you still here?"_

* * *

My eyes popped open like someone had just up and peeled them open for me, making me groan in disturbance despite how great it was to be out of _that_ 'day'mare. But what I woke up to see wasn't necessarily the most awesome thing to see the second you open your eyes, your brain beginning to clear from the fog of sleep. I raised a disturbed eyebrow to, firstly, the sight of a nearly naked female Digimon wearing what looked like more of a lavender bikini than any kind of armor at all. Secondly, there was another feminine-apparent Digimon that had the other Digimon wrapped up in its tentacle, and reminded me of Ursula from 'The Little Mermaid', except I'd much rather have seen her instead of that creepy, multiple-eye-balled squid thing that didn't even have legs. _…Dono yo na seiko de aru koto?_

I groaned again in discomfort as I forced myself up off the floor of the raft and onto my knees, though I nearly collapsed again from the slight movement. _Am I supposed to feel this wasted after giving in so easily like that? I just don't get it; if the darkness is actually an ally of mine, then why does it want everyone else to hurt? _

As I pulled myself back up onto my feet—I almost lost my balance on two feet and fell in the water—I could hear an angered voice erupt from a few feet behind me, the tone laced with a hatred I was used to hearing now, "Well, well, look who's awake now," JP sounded more pissed at me than he normally could be. _I wonder why. No one ever gets ticked at you when you hurt one of their friends. A little kid for that matter._ "So, Toshiku, who's next in your book anyways? I think we'd all like to know."

I didn't look back at any of them as I clenched my fists; I wished I knew who was going to be next. How was I supposed to know if there was a special reason that I kept on losing myself in the blindness of my depression? Was it something the others did or said, or did I just decide on a whim who and how I wanted to harm all of a sudden? I didn't know, and I didn't understand; people get scared when they encounter something they don't get. After an eerie silence set in amongst us, the only sounds being the bit of battle and conversation going on between the two Digimon before the raft, and the slap of the waves against said transportation, I let out a pent-up sigh, and uncurled my fists, both of them being surrounded by the life-saving blue bands of data. "I don't know, JP. I would've told someone if I knew…that I was going to do that…or that I might again…"

Before crossing the streams of data and turning into Raveamon, I convinced myself to turn around and look at the boys' faces; I needed to know how they'd reacted to one of the group being hurt by someone who'd been made to guard. The first face that I saw was the very one that I'd made cry probably only a few minutes ago at the very most; Tommy was no longer crying, but was still hiding in the barrel like he had been for the majority of the journey over the waters. I couldn't see his forearms, although I had no need to see them to know that I'd cut him, maybe not enough to leave scars, but certainly enough to make a lasting impression. It was extremely possible that I'd lost his trust completely, not that I would blame him.

That was enough; I didn't even want to know what Takuya, JP, or even Koji were thinking. I just wanted to curl up under a rock and die, right now; to tie something heavy around my ankle and jump into the water to drown. I knew I didn't deserve this life, so why was I still here?

_No, I'll die another day; I have to show them that I'm stronger than what lives inside of me. I have to be. I've got no choice. And besides, that purple subeta that's probably Zoe isn't gonna do too well against a squid that big and round. _"Toshiku," I glanced back when Bokomon surprisingly called out my name. I hadn't remembered that the little guy had been clinging to my leg while I was lost and curling my nails into Tommy's pale skin. "I believe it would be good for you to know that the humongous sea monster is Ranamon's beast spirit, Calmaramon, and the other Digimon hovering in the sky just over there is the Legendary Warrior of Wind, Zephrymon."

I nodded slowly, taking in the walking encyclopedia's words like water to a dying plant; all of this now, everything anyone told me had to have some kind of importance. If I missed something, that might mean the destruction of everything and everyone. It could unleash something in me that wasn't able to be put back in like a possessed Jack-in-the-box. _Calmaramon is my enemy. Calmaramon is my enemy. Zephrymon is the same as Zoe; I have to accept that she's my ally, and leave her be. Leave her be._

Crossing the bands of sky-hued data, I could feel the embrace of strength and power as my moreover humanness faded from my DNA, and I became alike to the appearance of Raveamon; I wasn't exactly her. I knew that now more than ever. Raveamon wouldn't have harmed so many innocent people. It was clear that she was nothing like me despite the intertwining of our data and DNA. _…Whatever that means…_

I leapt off from the raft and into the sky, hearing Takuya wonder aloud something having to do with 'Wasn't her D-Tector taken too? How did she spirit evolve?'. _Hm. Guess I never let on about this. Oh well, if they really wanna know, they'll ask. I'll just have to find something to tell them._ I could've sworn I heard Koji say that was a good question, but that didn't bother me; it was a peculiar thing to witness.

Though I could hear Koji's voice from behind me, now shouting along with JP at Calmaramon to let go of Zephrymon, I droned them out. If I lost my concentration at all, there would be no telling what I could do by mistake; Zephrymon could be the one to receive that mauling I was about to give to Calmaramon, or I'd just forget entirely about what I was doing and just send an attack back at the raft while Zephrymon was busy and couldn't defend them. I couldn't help but ponder why _Koji_ had been the one to come up with a plan to help Zephrymon free herself though. _"If we call her names and distract her, maybe Zephrymon can escape!" _

I mean, I wasn't completely _bothered_ by it, but…you'd think that, even though the brain-size was obviously different, JP would be the one to think of a way to save his dear, beloved Zoe. And besides that, since when did Koji care about what happened to Zoe anyways? I knew they were all Legendary Warriors, and all of them held a special bond that no one but them could ever truly understand…but…it wasn't a bond that I was sensing…at least not that kind…

"Raveamon! Look out!"

I gasped when I heard Tommy shouting at me, seeing Calmaramon's tentacle come swinging at me like some kind of pendulum. Letting my wings go still, I dropped quickly in the air, the element of my rival aiding to drag me down with greater speed. I avoided Calmaramon's thick, flailing arm just barely, the tips of my wings being clipped by the tough scales.

But why had Tommy warned me? I'd harmed him; how could he forgive me for doing something like that to him, when he'd done nothing but ask for comfort? He had to be just that naïve, not to realize that what I'd done wasn't something that you should be able to forgive that simply, almost like I'd just taken my shoes off and left them in the wrong place, only to have somebody trip over them or something. He had no purpose to forgive me whatsoever; if he even had to begin with. It was probably just my mind playing tricks on me, thinking such a thing. He had to be waiting, letting me think that I'd been redeemed for what I'd done to him, then when I finally had let my guard down, he would strike, gaining his revenge in the only way a human knew how. Pain.

Rage pooled up behind my eyes, but I didn't get why this time; it didn't bother me not being forgiven for my faults. They were my problem after all, I had to deal with them on my own, and I didn't need to know that they were okay, that there were people that could help me. Because it wasn't okay, and I didn't need or want anyone to help me put everything back together like it should've remained. But wrong was wrong, right was right, and there was no way to combine the two to make the wrong a right again. In a world of possibilities, it was impossible.

Madly flapping my wings to gain momentum, I rose up higher in the air, yet again at eye-level with that repulsive Calmaramon, who was too busy screaming at the boys to shut the hell up to see my fist collide with the top of her astoundingly pointy head (Mercurymon and Calmaramon should get hitched. They've got so much in common!). The slight offense didn't do that much against a beast spirit, not that I was necessarily expecting it to. All it was supposed to do was help get Zephrymon out of the trap of the ever-tightening tentacle, and that it did.

She squeezed herself out of Calmaramon's grasp, and while said evil giant squid realized what had just happened (it took a while for her to remember what she'd been doing because I'd kinda punched the spiked part of her head down into the rest of her), Zephrymon flew up a bit higher, holding her arms out to the side before swishing them before her, sending a heavy wind and multiple little pink-ish razor blades in both Calmaramon's and _my_ direction. "Hurricane Gale!"

I could hear the guys shouting at me to get out of the way, but some unseen force was holding me there, levitating just above Calmaramon's head (a very bad angle to be at, might I add). _I sense something…I can feel it…Something's calling me—the Verre of Water! That's gotta be it! I just gotta find it—It's one of those blue thingies on her head!_ I reached out almost randomly and whacked Calmaramon across the top of her head, knocking the verre from its place in a matter of clouts.

Snatching the verre out of midair, I was about to press it onto the verre collar to keep it from being lost (even when I spirit evolved, instead of fading away like everything else, it somehow was capable of remaining on both my human and beast spirit forms for whatever reason), but I'd forgotten about Zephrymon's attack. _Wow, that actually moves pretty slowly if you don't think about it. _

I had just enough time to shield myself with my six and a half (or so; I thought it would look kinda weird asking some Digimon if they had a ruler I could borrow) foot long wings, the razor blades slicing into my feathers as if they _weren't_ reinforced with some kind of metallic substance that even Bokomon couldn't name (Takuya thought it was just some kind of melted marshmallow stuff by the way it felt and looked, but I kinda doubted it honestly).

I could hear Calmaramon screaming as she attempted another one of her attacks, this one making her look like some kind of white and purple-striped top as she stuck two of her squid/octopus arms out to the side and began to spin around and around. I let my wings fall from around my body and relax back behind me again, flapping occasionally to keep me up in the air as I watched with a grin on my face as the _minikui on'na_-squid spun away in the air, apparently unable to control her beast spirit quite yet. Not that I was one to talk either.

But without any warning whatsoever—not even a single sound from the guys—I felt something hot sink into my back, burning painfully as something sharp smashed through my armored back, right at the spine, and dug into my skin. I cried out, thrashing my wings around madly as I tried to get away, I felt another cold, hard arm wrap around my neck, the three long fingers curling around my head. _Zoe's going to try to kill me…_

I growled, a sudden electric-like current thundering through my blood like a light of a fire crashes through the darkness of the deepest woods, the wind howling like a true werewolf. Then I realized I was the one howling, the deafening sound making the ones back down on the raft cover their ears and wince at the tingling pain in their heads, and the humming of the little hairs in their inner ears dying (that can lead to deafness, 'cause those hairs don't grow back). "Let go of me, Zephrymon! Don't touch me! Let go!"

"You don't know pain, Toshiku. You don't deserve what you have, _who_ you have." Zephrymon was incredibly good at not being overheard while she spoke, her covered mouth right next to my ear as she quietly shot at me, the burning Plasma Paw attack still throbbing dully now in my back. Her tone was laced with a hatred that was actually quite new to me: Jealousy. _Jealous? Of me? What do I have that she wants? What's she talking about?_ "You won't have that feeling of warmth and butterflies beside you for much longer, Toshiku. I've stolen hearts before, and I can do it again."

_…What?_ I was about to actually ask what in Kamisama's name she was talking about when she suddenly dug her long-fingery-talons into my skin, almost teasingly touching my spine, making my eyes grow wide with the agonizing touch of pain; screaming, I heard Takuya shout, fear in his raised voice as everything around me began to fade, and my screaming come to an end as my torso was surrounded by data, "Zephrymon! Let go of Toshiku right now! You're going to kill her!"

Suddenly Zephrymon just stopped, and looked down at the guys, primarily at Takuya since he'd been the one yelling at her to stop having all her 'fun' and drop me. Which is exactly what she did after seeing the look she was getting from pretty much everybody on that boat; _why does everyone care so much about what happens to me, especially after I hurt one of them? _

I let out a small, nearly inaudible moan of pain as Zephrymon let me fall from her grasp, returning to my fragile human body as I crashed face first into the cold water. Had I not just been unconscious a few minutes or so before, and had actually been fully awake with all of my strength back before I rushed into the battle, I probably would've been able to start stroking and get myself out of the water and back to the raft. But I was already in too deep when my eyes fluttered closed, the sun escaping from my line of sight as I continued to sink.

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**I know, it was really long. But I hope you guys really liked it, I know I thought it was one of my better chapters. I've gotta work on description and everything, but I've got both Chapter 17, 18, and parts of 19 (cannot wait for that one!) pretty much planned out, so, hopefully they won't take to long. Okay, I think that about it...Have fun doing...whatever then! (and yes, I do like cliffhangers...*does evil laugh* That, and I can never think of good endings.**


	19. Chapter 17: We All Make Mistakes

**Okay, I finished this today because I'm going to be away on vacation for about 10 days or so. I'm going to be keeping an open mind to ideas during the trip so I can make the upcoming chapters a bit faster, but I really really need your opinions on this chapter and also anyone who hasn't reviewed 16 yet, I'm on my knees, Please review. **

**Also, whoever hasn't done the poll on my profile yet, I'm still on my marrow bones, Please, please tell me what you think of what I've been writing. I'd really appreciate some feedback from you guys. Thanks for reading, and please enjoy the following chapter! **

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Chapter 17: We All Make Mistakes

Waking with a small groan, I manually opened my eyelids, prodding myself in the eye to force them to stay open this time (they were being stubborn; I had no other option). _Why does it always seem like I'm the only one getting whacked by people and getting freakin' knocked out? What am I? Some kind of newer, slightly shorter version of Bella Swan or something? If so, where in _Kamisama's_ name is _my_ vampire stalker—Oh, right. I have the sparkly Koji. He's the only thing that can sparkle but still be a real man at the same time. _That's_ what I call multi-tasking._

Tommy's talking had been the thing to wake me up this time—otherwise Takuya would've thought I wasn't breathing again and would've tried to give me mouth-to-mouth like he wanted to the day I got my Beast Spirit. _And apparently Koji's the Grinch. If he is, then he's one sexy green dude. He can come steal my Christmas any day. _"—Don't they know that we have important things to do?"

"I'm up, I'm up!...Never mind…I want ten more minutes…" I leaned back up against the barrel, being careful to watch out for the sore spot Zephrymon had left on my back. But I hit the area right on, and jerked back up with a grimace, biting my tongue to keep myself from crying out. _Never mind, I'm not gonna be able to sleep with that pain in my back. And besides, Neemon's snoring too loud. _

I glanced down at the astoundingly fuzzy yellow bunny as he lay flat on his back on top of me, not seeming to care whatsoever that there was no way that position was comfortable. Not that mine necessarily was either; I was propped up against the barrel Tommy had stuck himself in, one leg by Koji, the other one by Takuya, Bokomon sitting between my feet, and Neemon right smack above me, the wind blowing his ears back and whacking me in the face. But he was warm, and the harsh winds nipped at my face like the Pogumon Koji'd kicked the crap out of when he'd gotten his Human Spirit, so him being there really didn't bother me too much. Besides, Neemon was cuter than Bokomon anyways.

Noticing I was awake, Tommy leaned out of the barrel and peered at me for a moment; I assumed he was trying to see if my eyes were the right color and not deadman black before he said anything to me, or made any sudden movements for that matter. I could hear his thoughts, all of them frightened as he repeated them over and over in his head like some kind of trivia game on disc that was scratched and kept on stopping on you. _"Should I tell her I'm okay or something? Or am I supposed to ask _her_ if _she's_ okay now? Man, girls are really hard to understand…—"_

I sighed as I closed my eyes and leaned up against the barrel again, hitting the wood (…Wait, where'd we find this thing anyways?) with a small thump, making Takuya turn around and glance at me. I could feel his eyes on me, the expression shining within them obvious with question; the vibe I was getting from them was something having to do with, '…What the heck was that sound—Did Toshiku just die?' _Right now…I really wish that. You would all be a hell of a lot safer without me here at all anyways._

_"Tommy…I'm…I'm sorry…for what I did to you. There's no good way to truly apologize for something like that; I don't even want to mention it. It's just something that I'd rather all of us forget about, though…I suppose that 'forgive and forget' doesn't apply to this, and I wouldn't blame you in the slightest if you didn't do either. And I'd promise you that it wouldn't happen again…but I don't know if that's the truth. In fact…I'm almost positive that that won't be the last time. And I'm sorry for that, just in case I end up not being around to apologize for it all the times that—"_

_"Toshiku," _Tommy spoke my voice with what I found to be a small, faked laugh; the sound made me wonder what in _Kamisama_'s name he was trying to pull, snickering when I was trying to have a serious conversation with the kid here. Or was I just that bad at trying to that that I was sorry? _"It's okay, really, it is. The cuts have already scabbed over, and bruises are things that can heal. I'll be fine, and I'm glad that Zephrymon didn't hurt you—"_

My eyes opened suddenly, widening as I shuddered with the remembrance of the sensation of a hand _inside_ my back, the burning feeling of the Plasma Paw attack still lingering in my muscle tissues. How could Tommy possibly be happy that his assaulter had remained, to an extent, unharmed? _"But I made you bleed, I nearly made you wet your pants you were so afraid; how could you say that you're fine? I don't understand, what kind of—"_

But my apology-conversation with Tommy was cut short of what I was trying to say by Zoe (of course; who else talks to me when I've got this look on my face like I'm trying to concentrate on something deep inside the abyss of my head but at the same time looks like I might be sick? Zoe!). She sounded very pissed, but at the same time a wee bit remorseful. Any moron with a sense of hearing could tell that she was faking that bit of regret, trying desperately to make that emotion the mask of her contentedness. "Toshiku, we need to talk. Now."

"But I can't talk to two people at once! I'm just not that coordinated!" I shouted at what sounded to me like the top of my lungs, curling myself into the fetal position for enthusiasm; Zoe'd been the one to talk, so I could be as loud as I freakin' wanted to right now. She didn't need me to control myself; she had a Beast Spirit that could come up from behind me and kick my _oshiri_ without much trouble. The guys and Digimon couldn't do anything to stop that _subeta_ from kicking the _kuso_ out of me, but I couldn't help but wonder…what _was_ keeping her from beating me to a bloody, twitchy pulp?

I was practically defenseless right now anyways; my beast spirit was gone, and a human spirit just couldn't compare to such advanced power that was a beast spirit. She could easily make herself the beta of this group; take my place without even messing up her _ijiwaru_-blonde hair.

Did it have to do with the fact that she liked Takuya, but he liked me who liked Koji who also liked me…or something? If Takky liked me, and she wanted him, then he wouldn't like her that much if she attacked me for a reason other than 'losing control of her Beast Spirit' (I'd heard her talking to the guys about it in my sleep; she'd simply said that girl-power wasn't enough to be able to handle a Beast Spirit, and that was why she hurt me. What a load of _kuso_.). That had to be it; JP wouldn't care that much, and Zoe wouldn't listen to Tommy's cries for her to stop. Bokomon and Neemon wouldn't have much of a say in things either, or else they might get turned into vanilla and lemon goop. _But _chotto matte_…What about Koji—_

"Toshiku, I don't care if you can't talk to two people at once; you weren't even talking to begin with!" _As far as you know, _subeta_. _Zoe shot back, probably irritated at my response, and just at me in general. But I wasn't surprised, especially since I was covering my ears from hearing her in my fetal position pose. Not that that helped at all though. "Everyone saw you spirit evolve; why'd you lie about your D-Tector being taken?"

I unfolded myself from the weakened position, bringing my hands up, palms facing her in submission, but my eyes drilling into her plastic emerald ones with vigor of rage that I hid behind the mask of my face. She had no business knowing about my past, and I didn't intend to let anyone know about all that had happened. Sure they knew a bit, but none of them, no one would ever learn the whole story. "Hey, _chotto matte_, Zoe, I never said my D-Tector had been taken _personally_. When we were changing back into our clothes, I told you specifically that everyone's D-Tectors _but yours_ had been stolen. I didn't lie; and I don't appreciate you, or anyone else for that matter, jumping to said conclusion," Crossing my arms before me to prove my point of this conversation being over, I ended my part in it. There was no way she was going to provoke me into a fight for the rest of the day; I had to work on that.

But Zoe wasn't about to take, 'end of discussion' as an answer, and thusly dragged me screaming and kicking back into the 'talk' (it was turning into more of a shout, if you ask me). She stood up, clenching her fists and leaning down to shout at me like a freakin' drama queen, "Don't retell the story! Tell all of us how in the world you were still able to spirit evolve!" The look of anger suddenly dismissed itself from her features, being replaced immediately with mocking satisfaction at her 'discovery'. More of an accusation in my eyes though. "Or is this classified Cherubimon-minion-material?"

My eyes shot bullets at her after hearing such a thing, and I wished I could conjure up a grenade from my palm to throw at her or something; how could she think I was an alliance to Cherubimon when I'd fought Gigasmon with them, had been strangled by The Kool-Aid Man (a.k.a. Arbormon), and had been kidnapped by both The Queen of Sewers (a.k.a. Ranamon) and The Toaster-Phobe (a.k.a. the toaster impaired Mercurymon)? _Oh, right. It's probably the whole kicking everybody's _oshiri_ thing again. Why does she, of all people, have to bring that up the most?_

Standing up to match her stare and clenching both of my fists in a fighter's stance, I glowered razors at her, shouting as I did, "Have you been asleep all those times I've fought those enemies at your side? I know we don't see eye-to-eye, and that we never might, but could you at least _try_ not to fight me? I'm not trying to be your enemy; if you think I mean to hurt people, that that's all I'm here for, you're wrong. And you'll always be wrong—"

"How'd your parents die, Toshiku? Hmm?" I froze in my place—everyone but Zoe did—my surprise that she would go there greater than my temper now. I'd never said my parents had died, I'd only let slip that I hadn't seen my mother since I was eight, going on nine. Had something, or someone, told her? Or was she just guessing for the _seiko_ of it? "I recall you mentioning that you hadn't seen your mommy since you were just a little girl, no bigger than Tommy here." Her voice was so taunting, like she was preparing herself to trip me up on my own words. I hated people who did that, I always had since I'd met that _chikushou subeta_ of a psychiatrist the head of our section of the orphanage had tried to get me to see. Wasn't going to make the mistake of telling _him_ that I was over 90% sure that there was some kind of big Barney-looking thing trying to drag me through the floor again. "What happened to them, Toshiku? Or did you 'lose yourself' back then too?"

Growling and snarling at the way she used my misery as some kind of hammer and chisel against my rock wall of a façade, I averted my eyes to the ground, finding my shoe unexpectedly interesting as I did so. "You have no right to go there; you have no right to know!" I stepped forward as I looked up again, restraining myself from punching her, and shoving her instead. For me, it was an improvement not to punch someone's head in and back out their _oshiri_; in everyone else's point of view, it probably didn't look like that much. "_Subeta_! And your spirits are right there along with you on that one!" _So much for improvement there, Toshiku. _

Zoe shoved me right back, swinging her arm out and slapping me across the face, spitting back at me as she did, "Well, _you_ and _your _spirits are a bunch of tramp-freaks, Toshiku! And for the last time, what did I tell you about swearing in front of Tommy?" Stopping myself from putting a hand to my slightly stinging face, I stared at Zoe, one fist still clenched with my consideration of punching her in her _ijiwaru_ face and knocking her _oshiri_ off of the raft, ridding all of us of her presence once and for all. Until JP spirit evolved to go and get her though, but I could easily persuade that guy. At least, I could try to. _AncientRaiafemon doesn't deserve to be talked about like that; none of my spirits do. I'll make Zoe pay for saying that._

Stepping forward once again, forcing Zoe to move closer to the edge of the 'boat', I grabbed her by the collar of her blue-and-white striped shirt, my knuckles cracking and turning white with the power of my grasp. I stared straight into her eyes, green vs. green, the whole group going silent as our noses touched, making her suddenly begin to tremble in her fear; I wasn't surprised, the hue of the glow in my eye was that of knowing something she didn't. That would frighten anyone just thinking about what that something might be. "Don't. Rip. On my Ancient Spirit. Ever. You don't know what she did for this world; she didn't make her life the sacrifice because she thought it was a nice day to do so. She saved my life, and she helped save the Digital World from Lucemon in the beginning of this whole _chikushou_ thing. Show all of the Ancient Spirits some respect, would you? And if you keep it up, I'm gonna be doing a lot more harm that just swearing in front of Tommy. Get it?"

I received no instant reply from the blonde, and took it as she understood exactly what I meant. I took that with contentment, and released her, moving away and stepping back the two paces and stopping before the barrel, the eyes of the boys and Digimon on my the whole way there. Just as I was about to crouch down behind Bokomon again, Zoe was practically right on top of me; I assumed by the way her limbs were flailing that inexperiencedly she was attempting to start a _subeta_-slap fight. Or she was seizureing. I couldn't exactly tell to be honest.

She let out some kind of freakish battle cry kinda sound as I jumped out of her way, nearly tripping over Neemon and tumbling off of the raft in doing so. Noticing that she didn't seem to care if either one of us fell from the haven of the floating transportation, I decided for her that if one of us was destined to stumble, it was going to be her. Even though I didn't want to fight right now, I wasn't about to give in to the likes of her. _A little kick in the face might be enough to calm her _oshiri _down for the remainder of today. I can deal with a pissed off _subeta_ tomorrow._

Before anybody even really knew what was happening, I'd stood up straight again, spun around on my toes, and—quite gently, actually—slammed a foot directly into Zoe's face. I didn't hear the crunch of her nose breaking, I didn't even see any blood, but she fell down nonetheless from the force. _Dude, that felt good. It's like payback, but without the pay. That's unfair; I should solve that!_

The second she hit the ground, her hands cradled her shoe-printed face, her eyes filling with tears at the pain. I mentally rolled my eyes when she look pleading at Koji, of all people she could cry in the direction of, she chose Koji (_Dono yo na seiko_?), almost as if she were asking him to stand up and defend her against me, or to kiss her and make her feel all better. _I think I'm going to be sick. _

I was shocked when Koji, without even so much as an irritated sigh or expression anywhere in his body language, turned to me with a slight glare, just enough to make me freeze and yet again find my shoe very intriguing. But this time, it wasn't because of my past; this time it was about the present. _Great, now all I've got left to screw over is the rest of my present as soon as I finish up today, and then I've just got my future to work with. Easy as pie, and I wish it wasn't. _

The corner of my eye began to twitch with my anxiety as Koji suddenly spoke up, his voice oddly laced with anger, or at least some kind of frustration, "Toshiku, sit down and knock it off; you're gonna flip the raft over. Can you not go one hour without getting into some kind of an argument?" I kept my eyes on my shoes, but snarled nonetheless; Koji knew exactly what had happened. Why was he blaming this whole thing on me?

"What do you mean can _I_ not go without a fight? I'm not even the one who started it, and you know it, Koji. You heard Zoe start the conversation, and you know just as well as everyone else here that it's fighting dirty to use…that kind of a card…" I paused momentarily, wondering why in the hell I was even keeping up a 'decent' argument with Koji. _Koji_. The guy I'd…well, I guess you could call it dating, even though we'd never actually been on an actual date, the dude who didn't like being touched by strangers, but had allowed me to hug him and hold his hand after days of having met because of all the problems we'd faced through together. There's no better way to see a person's true self other than watching what they do under pressure. "And besides, I didn't even kick her that hard; the most damage I did was bruise her ego, and get some of the Digi-crap off of my shoe—"

"Aw! Toshiku! I was wondering why my face felt so grimy!" Zoe whined, beginning to rub the hood of her sweater-vest-zip-up-thing across her face. But I continued to ignore her, and just stared at Koji, completely bewildered by the fact that he'd come up out of the silence to defend Zoe.

He'd never done anything like this before; was this like trying on a new pair of shoes to him or something? Koji, of all people on this decaying planet, should've known me enough to realize that I wasn't one to take _kuso_ from a rival beta. Sure, it was pretty simple to guess by the way I fought both JP and Zoe (and Neemon, for that matter) for this position in the group, but how easy was it to _miss_? You would have to be blind, deaf, and paralyzed not to be able to notice in the slightest that I didn't appreciate someone trying to get me out of my rank and shove me into theirs, taking mine and leaving me in the scattered dust of the battle as they did so.

My only purpose for fighting to keep my position in this little pack was the fact that with the status came the ability to catch the mate you wished and hoped you would eventually be able to obtain as your own. If I were to slip from my high position beside Takuya (alpha, for whatever reason) and Koji (rival alpha, from my calculations) and fall behind as just another rival to the new beta (which would end up being Zoe), then she would have even more of a chance of stealing Koji out from beneath my fingertips. And that was just not an option, or very tasty food for thought. _Not like those Zingers…Hey! Where the hell did those boxes I 'borrowed' of 'em go? JP! I freakin' told you 'no'!_

"Toshiku," Koji raised his voice harshly, making my blood curdle within my veins, raising up one hand halfway up my torso in an attempt to block some of the sound from getting to my eardrums, though it did nothing to stop me from feeling what I couldn't help but feel towards Koji now: Fearful rage. "For once in your life, just listen to a mind that's not your own, and sit down—"

An anger I'd never felt so strongly, or at all, for Koji bubbled up like a volcano about to erupt within my vocal cords, making my face turn red with the fire. It was a heated feeling I didn't like, burning like a thousand fires underneath your skin, no one able to remove the torture from you. Like all hell coming to unnatural life inside your very condemned soul. "Don't tell me what to do, Minamoto! You—"

"Ku-kun…" Takuya reached up towards me despite the others shaking their heads, telling him with their eyes that it wasn't a good idea to touch me when I was this ruffled up. But he paid no second glance to them, and I could sense the warmth of his element as his fingertips brushed against mine, and his fingers were soon intertwined with mine like praying. Calmness slowly tickled over me like a dove's feathers tumbling all around you, or snow trickling down your face in a storm deep in the night, though you won't feel the cold because you are safe and warm in a lover's arms. "Remember what Weregarumon said? That we're going to be stuck together, whether we want to be or not? It would be a lot easier to be trapped in this dysfunctional little cluster if we can all try to get along, wouldn't it? Please, calm down, and take your seat again, for Weregarumon?"

I lip twitched with pent up anger; I hated it when people brought up something close and painful just to try to get you to do what they wanted. Although my instincts told me to punch Takuya in the face and just jump into the water and get the _hell kuso_ out of there, mumbling with said rage, I complied to Takuya's begging tone and sat back down, making no move to untangle my fingers from his. I enjoyed the warm feeling of concern and affection that Takuya's touch always held for me, though it sickened me that I couldn't bring myself to feel the same. Koji was the one for me, and I knew it clearly (not the one as in the term a stalker would use; similar, but not exactly); there was just something that he had that was impossible for Takuya to ever obtain. It was something I didn't know I ever needed, but I did…though…I had no idea what it could be.

I must've zoned out, or missed something, 'cause the next thing I knew Takuya's hand was no longer by mine and he was exclaiming in gleeful voice that seemed to have been elsewhere through that whole fight, "Man, we are cooking along now!" I rolled my eyes at his statement, but smiled nonetheless at his over-enthusiasm. Somebody here had to be at least the tiniest bit optimistic, and I wasn't sure that I would be able to take it another day if it was Zoe.

A blast of frozen air coursed through my skin, sending shivers down my spine like a thousand little centipedes crawling across your body. Well, that's more like a bug-horror movie than a blast of tundra air. Despite the cold, Takuya was still capable of mentioning how freakin' cold it was. "Well, maybe 'cooking' isn't the right word." _Yeah, I'd rather be curled up underneath a stove or something than be here. And stop using words that remind me of food. I'm getting hungry again. Stupid Beast Spirit that's not even with me right now that keeps screwing around with my digestive system. Why do werewolves need to eat so much?_

"Yeah," Zoe agreed, making me growl with irritation and unbearable antagonism; she was trying to gain sympathy from the group so she could have them on her side instead of neutral the next time she and I got into it about something. Why was she always on the verge of another fight if it meant being able to argue with _me_? I hoped this wasn't her way of saying she was fond of someone. "I can't feel my fingers!" _I'm glad, 'cause I can feel mine like they're actually there…Wait, what?_

Unexpectedly shaken from my thoughts of my fingers suddenly running away from my hand, I saw Koji take of his jacket and hand it back to Zoe out of the corner of my eye. I couldn't tell by his eyes what he was thinking, or the emotion within his soul at the moment, but I couldn't seem to get inside his mind now. _What the—Did Koji freakin' block me out?_ "Take it." Zoe seemed just as surprised at his sudden action as I was, and I guess that was a pretty good thing. At least then it showed it wasn't…her…it was Koji. Chikushou_, I take that back, it's not good._

Zoe just sat there with her arms drawn up to her as she gazed with a blankly confused face at Koji, as though she were looking straight into his eyes even though he wasn't even facing her. But I could've sworn I could see a faint blush dusking over his cheeks like dust on a shelf you'd 'forgotten' about. Naze seiko_ is he blushing?_ "Yeah? You sure?" Dono yo na seiko_ is she blushing for? I know he's hot, but he's spoken for!_

Koji simply nodded, still keeping his eyes off of everything and everyone but what was just ahead of him; I was pretty sure he could feel my eyes on him, watching him while my heart sped rapidly out of control for a reason I couldn't put my finger on. I'd never felt this torn between yanking Koji aside to talk and kicking the kuso out of the subeta that was drooling over him like I did.

But he paid no mind to the sensation, and even let Zoe trail her fingers along his as she took the navy blue jacket from him, the unnecessary touch making me snarl in her direction, being quiet enough so it wouldn't start another group-wide spat. "_Grazie_, you're the best!" I didn't know if now would be considered a good time to jump back up onto my feet and show Koji how a real fight was started, demonstration given on Zoe, or if that would just piss him off like it had when he told the both of us to knock it off. I was sorely tempted not to care and to just let it all out on Zoe while I still had the opportunity, and while she was in a place that she couldn't run away very easily. Although, the fact that there were multiple people to hold me back was a step in the wrong direction. I wouldn't let the hands of wisdom and safeties stop me though.

Koji's hands might be able to stop me; his touch had almost always been just the thing I needed to come up out of a bad mood like a snake out of its hole, or a chipmunk out of somebody's garage. When I could've been cold, when I could've been angry, Koji had stood by my side and had showed me a set of paths that I'd never taken notice of for years: Happiness, friendship, and love. It was all someone could ever want; there wasn't anything more worth asking for.

There was only one problem, for me anyway, and it was that no matter how much I wanted to move on, I just couldn't seem to be able to leave the miserable self that had gotten me through all the sleepless nights, and let Koji make me like new again. I just couldn't do it, and I hated myself for it. I wanted to be honest with Koji, with all my heart I did…but I kept second guessing myself each time I decided to try. And now this whole show with Zoe…

I sighed tiredly, this twisting and turning ride was beginning to grow old; I just wanted to know one thing, and that was why Koji had that sudden change of heart to be so kind to Zoe. _Ya know, I hate having to put puzzles together without knowing the whole picture first. It's just plain stupid, and a pain in the _oshiri_. _My knees pulled up to my chest and my arms curled around them, I looked away from Koji, but hoped that our minds could connect with the special bond without the need of eye contact. _"Hey…Koji? What was all that about back there anyways? You've never acted that way with me before…Is something wrong?"_

_"Oh, now you want to talk about feelings, huh?" _I sat there dumbfounded at Koji's rapid and snappish reply; what the hell had that been about? How the _seiko_ are you supposed to answer _that_? I wasn't usually the one that had to start the whole 'Is there something you want to talk about' conversation, I would understand if I wasn't doing a good job, or had started off with the wrong question. But I could tell that wasn't it. _"And here I thought you were the type to say, 'Oh, I'm fine, it's nothing' and leave not-so-good enough alone. What happened to not wanting to get into a relationship? If you're so afraid of commitment—"_

I released my legs and full out shouted inside my head, even though now probably would've been the right time to be quiet and at least the least bit sentimental. Too late for my sorry _oshiri_. _"Where the _seiko_ did you get that _kuso_ from, Koji? I know I don't talk to you about this kind of stuff a lot, but I want to—wow, that makes me sound like I have a lot more problems than I think I do. But anyways, why wouldn't I want a relationship with you—and me? Afraid of commitment? I mean, c'mon! _

_"I mean, I'd be even more of an idiot than I already am if I didn't give everything I had to be with you. I know all this sounds corny, but I mean every word, really. And if you still want to be mad at me later, I still have that pre-wrap, so I can actually fix up your hand this time. And I never did get to finish 'cleaning' your face, now did I, Puppy?"_

Koji spun around at my last little comment and stared at me like he was about to ask, 'What the heck have you been smoking?'. But he stayed silent, and just gave a little 'hmph' as he turned away from me, though I could see he wasn't as mad as he'd been before by the bright blush on his face. I grinned, glad that memories meant something to more people than just me, and that Koji was one of those types that had the capability of remembering even the most embarrassing, cuddly moments I'd ever forced him through. But I still couldn't keep myself from wondering where he'd heard that I was afraid of commitment and a relationship. _I know I'm freaked out by a lot of stuff I don't really let on about, but may I remind every living thing here that can hear my thought with a disconnected line that _I_ was the one who made the first move by asking Koji for his name, _and_ running into him in the first place!_ Even Cherubimon wouldn't have come up with that.

I was torn from my unexpected thoughts of Cherubimon (since I'd never seen the guy, I just imagined Barney and hoped it would suffice) in a tutu when I heard Bokomon shout while flipping off either us, the raft, Seraphimon's egg (wow, that's a mouthful), or the atmosphere while, "Land ahead!" _Dude, get your pirate lingo right. It's 'land ho!' or land _shofu_. It's hard to tell, really._

Nearly face planting into Bokomon's head as I lurched down to grab onto the raft before one of us (obviously, me) went flying off like a poorly made origami rose from a little girl's bookshelf during an earthquake, I heard Takuya shout out the normal saying for a landing, "Well, that went way better than I though it'd be!" After we'd been back on the snow and ice for a little while, the ride beginning to grow smooth and calm again, Takuya brought up a different subject other than the fact that that entrance could've ended with a hell of a lot more predicamids. "But where's that Autumn Fair thing?" _Well, from my calculations without Bokomon's no-one-has-even-asked-the-name-of-the-freakin'-author book, it's somewhere that's autumn-ish…and has a lot of fairies._

Bokomon tugged open his waistband, trying his best not to let any blasts of cold air get near Seraphimon's egg (Seriously. Who wants to keep on having to say that?). I had to agree with Neemon on this one: Bokomon was a very good mommy. "It should be just up ahead." He informed all of us after having flipped open the book, paging through it for a few moments before locating some kind of map—at least to me, who was leaning over Bokomon's head to get a view of the book—of the area of the Digital World we were currently traveling around in. I had to admit, whoever drew this thing was really talented with a crayon.

"Well, there is something ahead," I glanced up along with everyone else when I heard Zoe speak, like always not giving us a clear answer of, 'Look out! There's a hole in the ground over there that we all might _die_ in!' again. _If you've got nothing that's gonna do anybody any good to say, don't say anything at all. Zoe, that means you, but you should've be talking at all; your voice is like Elmo, Barney, and Miley Cyrus had a threesome and you're the product. No offense to your folks intended._ "But it doesn't look very fair!" _And neither are you, you blonde-haired Lucille La Verne (a.k.a. the Queen/step-mother in Snow White. Even though I doubt that there's one mother out there that didn't force her children to watch that stupid princess movie.)._

Everyone but Koji it seemed started to freak out, their eyes popping out of their heads like they didn't have that reflex where your eyes close no matter what you do when you sneeze (According to another _subeta_ I knew, who it had apparently happened to, had told me that it was true. I noticed one problem right off the bat: She still had eyeballs.). I could hear Tommy screaming 'Bloody murder!' in my ear from just behind me; when I looked back to give him a glare that stated clearly, '_Seiko o shattodaun_. I don't want a hearing aid', I saw that Zoe was actually in the right position to literally be shrieking, 'Bloody murder!'.

Koji's calmness was demonstrated by the fact that he was the only one thinking clearly enough to make a plan of action. And he said it in that cute, cute voice of his too; _Dude, I freakin' sound like the Toucanmon raving about their 'Ravishing Ranamon'. I think that I've been spending too much time with Koji…Never mind. In a world of possibilities, that's freakin' impossible! _"Everyone, hold on to something so we don't fall of the raft!" Everybody got their game-face on as they leaned forward to cling to whatever it was that was sitting right in front of them, minding its own business like 'La, di, da, di, da' only to have someone like JP come up and either gnaw on it until it was no more, or grab on for dear life.

Like a plane sprinting down the runway, gaining momentum until it was finally time for lift off (Rocket lingo, but it works for any flying crap.), we were momentarily airborne, the raft taking to the snow-less terrain like a hound to a rabbit trail, Wereraiomon to a Terriermon's trail. The heavy breeze rushing like a tornado through my hair reminded me of how it felt to fly as Raveamon, and how it had actually been a while since I'd flown just for the sake of being able to. Despite Zoe's element being quite similar to it, I'd always loved the air; any season, any weather, didn't matter. As long as there was air and a breeze, I was happy as a termite in a log cabin. I couldn't imagine either of us, Raveamon or me, being able to survive with clipped wings.

Landing, on the other hand, had never really been my favorite part of the flight, in either a plane, Raveamon's form, or—this one was actually new—a hand-made raft, it was all the same, and sucked every time. This landing was unbelievably jarring, throwing everyone who didn't exactly have the greatest grip on the raft against whatever was behind them, and hopefully that wasn't the tracks our transportation had been making for the past few hours (a.k.a….me).

My still sore wound hit the barrel hard, feeling the tingling sensation of the sting, causing a cry to try to crawl its way up my throat. I bit my tongue to keep it down where it belonged as I heard Tommy call out, his voice sounding like he actually realized he was using a very overrated line, but didn't care either way, "It's not over yet!" Something far off, but approaching quickly, caught not only my eye, but obviously Tommy's as well. _Is…is that what I think it is? _"What is that?"

My eyes widened with the memory of another phobia (Hey, whatdya know? I got another one! Here's some company for ya, Elmo!) "A SNOWMAN?" _Mum said I was nuts; I _knew_ Frosty the Snowman was stalking me! And here's my proof! The _jakkasu_ freakin' followed me into the Digital World! _Ever since I'd first seen that movie, I'd freaked out every time I saw anything and/or anyone with a hat that even barely resembled the magic hat Frosty wore. Daijiro didn't understand how I could be so creeped out by such a nice piece of snow; he loved Frosty the Snowman, always watched the movie a million times, and even tried to make his own two and a half foot tall Frosty (who I then destroyed with fireworks at the age of about seven; the last peaceful, uneventful Christmas my family ever had).

I ducked along with everyone else (It's not peer pressure, it's peer geniusness! Whoever invented ducking deserves a shiny gold star! Or at least some kind of ceremony of appreciation.) as we rammed into the yellow glove-wearing, red pail-owning, evil multiple balls of yellow tinted snow head on. The snow-stalker was instantaneous obliterated when the raft struck it, but apparently Frosty the _Jakkasu_ was prepared to fight back by completely demolishing the _raft_, and throwing all of us off of it. _I'll beat your _oshiri _one day, Frosty, mark my words, I will…_

The in-healing-process-do-not-disturb soreness on my back hit the ground first, making me cry out unwillingly; did everything have to hit me there? Frosty and Elmo must've teamed up against me and let every inanimate object know that Zephrymon had kicking—actually, stabbed would be more specific—the crap out of me and that everything was supposed to help out. How considerate. Thankfully, I wasn't the only one in a bit of pain; I was just the only one not prepared, and hadn't seen it coming. At least, that was the vibe I was getting from Takuya. "Now that's more of what I was expecting…" _Ta-kun, this is the crap you need to warn me about. _

"Hey," I rolled onto my hands and knees with a groan when I heard Koji stating stuff I hadn't even taken notice of. _Wow, that sure says a lot right there. You'd think something wrong with you when you can't recognize when it gets warmer or colder. Other people would know something's not right. _"It's warm here!"

"It's warm?" Zoe sat up along with everyone else in a freaky simultaneous motion; this kind of thing was actually kinda creepy. I was starting to notice that we all had really creepy moments at the most obvious of times. Who could've guessed? "Why is it warm?" _'Cause Koji's so hot he turns winter to spring…I love that pick-up line…_

Suddenly Takuya just sat up, his goggles around his neck as he pointed up at something. I looked in the general direction of where he was gesturing to and saw a huge furnace-like…thing. _…How long's that been there? _"Maybe that!" Everyone echoed off into little 'woah's and were struck with awe at the sight. _…Has no one here ever seen an old fashioned stove or something?_ "He-hey! It's the fair-thingy!" _Well, you sound pleased with yourself, Ta-kun. If you did something wonderful, I think I missed it._

I watched on my knees as the others got up easily, and quickly began to follow Bokomon, while I continued to attempt to do the same, but pain always sent me back down onto the ground to recuperate. _Oh, _Chikushou-shin_…I must look like three or four kinds of an idiot like this. Why does Zoe have a bone to pick with me anyways? And why the hell won't she leave Koji alone for five seconds anymore—_

"Hey," I looked up hastily, thinking I'd heard JP's voice…instead of _her's_. Green vs. green, our gazes met; I lowered my gaze submissively, closing my eyes as I did; I didn't even want to look at her shoes. It felt like I was dying inside, part of me just begging me to stand and spirit evolve, force Zoe to fight me, end this Battle of the Betas once and for all. Show her where her place was, and keep her there till the end. My body wanted to rise and conquer, but my mind knew that I couldn't do that, realized I wasn't supposed to fight the other warriors. Just as soon as I thought that to myself, over and over again to bring on the compliance, I could feel an impulsive fury bubbling around inside me like boiling water in a pot that as two sizes too small. "Are you going to get up, or not? C'mon, we have the D-Tectors to find!"

_Heh, I guess you don't remember what you did, _subeta_. You try standing up straight after someone's been messing around with your spinal cord._ I opened my eyes, and glowered up at her as I forced myself to fight past the pain without help, biting my tongue to stop a croak of agony as my feet were finally planted on the ground again; I didn't need anyone but myself, it had always been that way, and would always be that way. I didn't need some stupid _jakkasu_ controlling me; I had to listen to my own heart talking and rely on myself instead.

At eye level with her again (actually, I was a bit taller than her and a few of the other warriors also), I stared down into her doll-emerald eyes, clearly intimidating her by the shimmer in my eyes as the darkness I held dear in my heart shone through in my gaze. I could feel it trickling over my skin like needles, like falling rain; needles could be fun—they could simply replace darts—, rain was beautiful camouflage for tears. "Do you believe I'm unaware of such knowledge, Warrior of Wind? And don't think I don't realize what you're doing; Toshiku may not, but I—" Stopping abruptly, the glare and anger left my expression almost instantly; I backed away from Zoe and ran around her, not wanting to even try to offer an excuse this time. I didn't even have a clue of how to explain in a way that would make sense anyways. _M-my voice…it was…it wasn't even mine…It sounded like…R—_

"Oh, how I despise crowds…"

"Holy _kuso_!" I jumped at Bokomon's sudden statement, pulling a bit of a Scooby-Doo move and leaping into the-person-closest-to-me's arms, tightly clinging to him as I half glanced over at a stunned Bokomon. The look on his face was evident, 'Who knew Toshiku could bounce so high, or become so startled'.

Internally scolding myself for acting so spook-ish at being caught off guard, I actually noticed who I'd clung to. "…_Gomen_, Koji…I was busy, uh, thinking. I didn't see the white veggie, and he…he…umm…" I leaned in closer to his face, and whispered in his ear, ignoring the bewildered look from the rest, "Let's just leave it at I like to hug you, and if I were ever scared witless—I'll warn you now—you'll be the one I'm holding onto for dear life the whole night long—but I'm not afraid now, I was taken by surprise." My face reddened lightly as he set me down, and I reluctantly let go of him; I was tempted to just stand there and hug him, but had enough self-control in reserve to be able to restrain myself. I could see by the glow in his eyes that he wasn't fooled by my lie of being unfrightened, but with that show, who would be?

I stood there with my embarrassedly scarlet face, while everyone just stared at me with confused and mocking faces; a person can only take so much of that awkwardness. Sensing that it wasn't about to end soon, I thrusted a fist into the air and stated, quite proudly, despite what I actually said, "Would everyone just stop looking at me like I killed a squirrel and devoured it whole for one measly minute? Just go look for the freakin' Toucanmon, would ya? I'm going that way," I pointed in the first direction I thought of. Anything to get out of here. "If anyone stalks me, we might just be short one Legendary Warrior." On that note, I took off like a speeding bullet that was after Superman.

_How could you be so weak, Toshiku? Looking for strength from others, searching within them instead of yourself for power to help you carry yourself onwards…Why? You are more powerful than them; if anything, they should be trying to take your strength. If you would just—_

_Stop it! Please! J-just shut up!_ I screamed inside my head, hating that I couldn't just be rid of my second personality (not like MPD, though. Everyone has a second person inside them, just gnawing away at your nerves until you blow up with rage at someone who didn't deserve it) and live a normal-ish life. This voice was different than any human could ever think; it was obsessed with power, triumph, solitude, and darkness. Some people just had a rival inside their heads, telling them that they can do so much better, that they aren't doing well enough; I just had an enemy that I couldn't see, and couldn't fight off. The perfect nemesis.

I stopped running, the excruciating discomfort crawling over my skin at every sudden movement. Slumping my shoulders to relax my muscles and shoving my hands into my pockets, I walked on down the dirt street, Digimon, little shops, and tents everywhere I looked. _How's anyone supposed to find a few Disney-Digimon in this place? It's like looking for a book in someone else's bedroom, and you don't realize there's a murderer in the room, 'cause you think it's just your roommate, and you can't turn on the light because you think you'll wake up your 'sleeping' friend. Then you come back the next day to get the book and see your friend in a pool of blood on the bed, with a note on the wall asking you, 'Aren't you glad you didn't turn on the lights?' _

"Hey," I halted and glanced around, trying to locate where that voice was coming from, hoping that I didn't have something that annoying drilling away into the recesses of my head. I was completely sure I'd have to drag my sorry _oshiri _to an asylum if _that_ got in my brain. On a scale from one to Zoe (irritating wise), it was surpassing Zoe and on its way to the suicide mark, from which it just kinda ended. "You! The raven-head with the ugly shoes!" _Dude…my shoes aren't that ugly. Sheesh, you can't judge a person 'cause of their shoes…You can dissect them, then sure, judge all you want, but don't rip on the shoes. They're probably older than _kuso_._

I jumped back when a pink fur ball that reminded me of a Furby doll with a belt similar to Lobomon's around each foot, and a spear with a red ribbon thing tied to the handle. It must've been the thing insulting my shoes, although it didn't look like it would be able to point fingers; it didn't even have shoes. It just stared at me with big, black, shiny eyeballs; I stared right back at it. _…Staring contest…_ "Uh, yeah? Can I help you with something, Evil Pink Furby of Death and Destruction?" I inquired it, realizing that there was no way you could just walk around something like…that.

"You look puzzled—" _Sounds like me so far. _"And I've never talked with a human before, so I decided to change that today, except for the you-being-puzzled part—" _How nice of you._ "So, what is your world like anyways?" The pink thing was smiling like a happy little skittle, but also kind of maniacally with that spear of his. Kinda like a murderer guy you think you see outside your window, but you're actually just seeing his reflection in the glass and he's standing right behind you with a knife and you don't realize it until after he shoves the knife through your heart, or until the police get there and tell you he'd been behind you the whole time but hadn't killed you for whatever reason. Obviously a guy who liked to antagonize his victims before taking them out with that single thrust of the metallic blade.

"Sometimes it's green, becoming polluted, and smells like sugar over 64% of the time. What's your point?" Standing with my arms crossed in front of me, a now nonchalant-featured expression shadowing my annoyance, the pink Furby just stared at me in awe, begging me without words to continue. _Fine, ignore my question. All Digimon seem to. _I began counting off on my fingers as I continued, "Well, most humans seem to be obsessed with Justin Bieber, Edward Cullen/Robert Pattinson, Jacob Black/Taylor Lautner, and also the color pink. Don't ask why, because other than Jacob Black, I don't understand the obsessions."

I raised a surprised eyebrow at the fuzz ball's next question. _At this pace,_ _I'm never going to find those D-Tectors. _"What's a Justin Beaver?" The round critter just looked at me with those two sparkling eyes, paying no mind to the other three topics and going right straight in for the one that hadn't hit puberty yet. "Can you give a demonstration of one?"

Letting out an exasperated sigh at the creature's persistence and interest in…Justin Beaver, apparently, I cleared my throat, and tried to make my voice sound like Justin Bieber's the best I could. " With you, with you…I wish we had another time, I wish we had another place…~

" Now, Romeo and Juliet, bet they never felt the way we did. Bonnie and Clyde, never had to hide like we do, we do. You and I, although it can't work, it's all fun and games till someone gets hurt. And I don't, I won't let that be you.~

" Now, you don't wanna let go, and I don't wanna let you know there might be something real between us two. Who knew? Now, we don't wanna fall, but we're tripping in our hearts. And it's reckless and clumsy, and I know you can't love me.~

" I wish we had another time. I wish we had another place. But everything we have is stuck in the moment. And there's nothing my heart can do, can do, to fight with time and space, 'cause I'm still stuck in the moment with you…~

"Happy?" I asked the awestruck little Digimon, its eyes glittering with little stars at the portion of the song I'd sung—I had, in fact, successfully sounded like said pop singer. The petite ball of hot pink fur let out a little fan girl shriek before making the freakiest calling sound I'd ever heard. If I were to mimic it, it would go along the lines of, '!'…Literally.

I could feel my face turning red as every single Digimon—and about three or four more of those pink guys—turned and stared at me like I was some kind of alien that you just couldn't help but go up and prod. Which the original pink dude did. He poked my forehead multiple times—that was the part of me he was at eyelevel with—and encouraged from there saying, "Go on, go on! Sing for all of us another one! If you don't, I have a spear, and I'm not that afraid to use it!" Then he whispered in a quieter voice, mainly to himself despite that fact I could hear him clear as daylight, "I'm lying."

Feeling every single eye of every Digimon around us, I felt like I'd suddenly combusted, and burst into flames from my own embarrassment. I mean, sure I could sing in front of Koji, and the others when I was hyper and didn't know what I was doing or something, but a crowd…? The last time I'd sung anything in front of a crowd-sized group of people was five at Uncle Akio's wedding. Everyone thought that it would be just so adorable if the ring bearer and I sang their song as she walked down the isle. _Well, may as well not challenge the guy with the weapon. _" There's a part of me you'll never know. The only thing I'll never show…~

" Hopelessly, I'll love you endlessly. Hopelessly, I'll give you everything. But I won't give you up, I won't let you down. And I won't leave you falling if the moment ever comes…~

" It's plain to see it's trying to speak. Cherished dreams, forever asleep…~

" Hopelessly, I'll love you endlessly. Hopelessly, I'll give you everything. But I won't give you up, I won't let you down. And I won't leave you falling if the moment ever comes…~

" Hopelessly, I'll love you endlessly. Hopelessly, I'll give you everything. But I won't give you up, I won't let you down. And I won't leave you falling, but the moment never comes…~ "

My face redder than fresh strawberry jelly, I dashed out of the crowd of Digimon, all of them staring at me with stars in their eyes, drooling like most girls would over Orlando Bloom. I didn't know why they were looking at me like that; maybe they just liked Muse. I hoped that it wasn't just them thinking about how a human's meat might taste; that'd freak me out just a bit. Hopefully none of them were followi—

Colliding with whatever I'd rammed into turning the corner, I hit the ground hard, but thankfully whoever I'd hit had been kinda squishy. I rubbed my now aching nose, making small 'ow ow ow' noises as I did, only to glance up and notice that JP was standing there, holding his mocking laughter back by biting his lip. I scowled at the hefty blue _shiri no itami _as he grasped my arm and assisted me in getting back up, "Oh, get a life, you _kuso-atama_!" A small smile crossed my face to show that I wasn't necessarily angry; it's a good thing for people around you to know when the way you speak doesn't show it.

JP laughed merrily, with an almost amused and astounded air to it as he did; he was truly Santa Claus. Koko de seiko_ is my gun? _"Well, you're pretty up-beat for someone who just went through a break-up! You're better off without him anyway; Koji can be a real jerk e—" I stopped snickering and stared at JP like he'd just swallowed Koichi the Caterpillar in one gulp (Which would be pretty much like him gnawing on some kid's arm). Had he just…really said what I thought he did? Break-up? Koji? _Dono yo na seiko_?

Locking my penetrating gaze with JP's puzzled one, I tried to keep myself from mauling him for his words, calmly began to inquire, keeping every bit of anger I could from turning its ugly head and tainting my tone, "JP, where did you hear that I had a break-up with Koji? Who even told you that I was with him? We haven't even gone on a date." The rage stayed out of my vocal cords, but was instead replaced by an eerily calm coldness, something you would expect from someone who is about to kill you, but is playing the innocent bystander before thrusting the rusty blade underneath your ribcage. _I must have homicides on the brain, holy _kuso_._

The Warrior of Thunder's eye widened to an unbelievable size as a look of, 'Oh. My. _Kamisama_. I screwed up, big-time' crossed his face. He tried to turn and scamper away from me before I forced him to explain his statements, but he couldn't outrun me. No way, no how. It was three seconds before I'd caught him and had him by the collar of his jumpsuit; my upper lip twitched in my lack of understanding and fury at his words. I could've sworn he was about to crap himself as I growled, grumbling under my breath as not to draw any more attention than we already had, "JP Shibayama, you're going to tell me who you heard that from. I don't care what I have to do to get some answers out of you; sorry, but when it's about this kind of thing, I don't see any options but one: Do whatever it takes to make things right. And to do that, I'll need that n—"

"Take it easy, Toshiku," JP put his palms up in submission, and I lessened my grip; just because he didn't know something didn't mean that I had to scare the crap out of him and make him wet his jumpsuit. That would be a pain in the _oshiri_ for everybody. "Me and Zoe were just talking about you having the hots for Koji, and she pointed out that you and him had been dating. But when I asked about the little spat you guys had today, she told me that you were both so sour with each other because you'd split up back at that island the Toucan Paradise place was at—" I would've had JP keep explaining, but then I saw Zoe come up to us, smiling her normal innocent grin, but her eyes telling me all that I needed to know. She was spreading that I wasn't with Koji, at least not anymore. _Now I'm getting kinda freaked; why do our feelings for each other matter to her? And why would JP believe her anyways—Oh, right, he thinks he'd take a plastic bullet for her. _

"Hey guys," Zoe chimed, seemingly unaware of the smoldering fire within my living forest green eyes, all of the heated anger only for her. There seemed to be no one left that I really ever got pissed off at beyond human sentiment spans. Everyone else just got me ticked every now and then, but almost never like this. It had to be something about her that made me boil like this; it was as if something inside me knew something about her that I couldn't see or notice. "Have either of you two gotten any leads to the Toucanmon or the D-Tectors that Toshiku lost yet?" Subeta_! You _kusoimaimashii subeta_! What the _seiko_ happened to this not being all my fault? I didn't know that the _kusoimaimashii_ Toucanmon were going to come up out of nowhere and take the _chikushou_ D-Tectors right out of our _kusoimaimashii_ hands! …Hmm, glad none of that came out…_

Biting my tongue so hard to keep myself from becoming a bomb of cusses I thought I was going to cut it right in half, I released JP from the intensely raged grip and stood a little ways from him. I clenched my fists at my sides to keep them from flying at Zoe like torpedoes, all aimed for the biggest area of her: Her mouth. I let my tongue taste freedom from the painful cage of my teeth for a split second, only long enough to utter out a cold and straight-forward, "…No…!" Any more time than that, and I wouldn't be the only one who truly knew how filthy my mouth could be.

_You, Toshiku Yumari, have a complicated mind; I doubt that I've ever noticed this much stupidity in any of the Warriors minds. So, I was correct: Something is wrong with only you—_

Seiko o shattodaun_, _subeta_! I don't know who you think you are, but only the Spirits of Moon and I are allowed in the heads of my friends—Who the seiko are you anyways? Your voice is familiar to me. _Most times people ignore the voice in their heads, especially when it's saying that it plans to kill you soon. This wasn't most times, and I wasn't a people. I was too much of a freak to be part of the human world anymore.

_Patience is a virtue, Yumari. Best make use of it while you still have the opportunity to. I cannot take you down yet; Cheru-sama has told me that it is not yet the time. You, stupid girl, are lucky._

That was all; nothing more than crap-your-pants-freaky, nothing less. It was frightening how her voice was, at least right now. This was the first time I'd ever heard this kind of a tone from any living thing before: Playfully sadistic, a knowledge of her own power making her seem confident, though there was a hint of a façade to psyche out the opponent. And trapped, locked in a cage somewhere deep within the walls of an uneasy, soulless shell.

It made me physically tremble.

Neither JP nor Zoe noticed me shaking, so they didn't ask. Instead they both continued with the conversation at hand about the D-Tectors. His voice sounded doubtful and sad as he agreed with my blunt 'no'. "Me neither," JP suddenly looked quite downcast, his usually jolly chocolate-shaded eyes clouded sadly with the thought of a sudden lack of strength and protection. "What if we never find them?" _Doesn't anyone have any faith in the strategy of Search and Don't Necessarily Destroy anymore?_

_That didn't mean I wanted _her_ to be confident about it. _Zoe casually sidled up to JP, resting a hand on his shoulder like she was trying to be his friend as she gently said, apparently hoping to make him believe her betraying, fake statements like she did to everyone,"Don't worry, JP. I'll get the D-Tectors back if it's the last thing I do—"

_Enough is enough. Being a fake, _shiri no itami subeta_ is one thing, but this is going 1-5 steps too far. I'm not going to stand by and let her screw with JP's head with her innocence-tinted deceit anymore. _"Oh, please," I groaned, angered by the 'What the hell is wrong with you now?' expression on Zoe's demonic angel face, her blonde hair slipping from behind her ears to frame her features. The small change of appearance nearly gave JP an…uh, aroused state of mind and body…making me snarl at Zoe. I didn't care if JP liked her, I just wished he could see her true form: The _kusoimaimashii_ Devil.

"Spare me the lies. I'll have enough to tie around the Digital World four times just by listening to you talk!" I grinned through my snarling, causing Zoe to give me a 'Seriously. Something is wrong with you' kind of look at my expression and the sounds that were erupting from my throat, making me sound like I not only was trying to say coherent words while growling, but also like I had something caught in there too. _Whatever, she's intimidated, that's good enough for me._ "That's more than enough for one _chikushou _human being to have to live with, and that's only _kusoimaimashii_ counting yours!"

Zoe stared at me like that for a while, before something unknown must've clicked in her brain, making her smirk deviously, folding her arms out before her almost triumphantly before retorting proudly, "Well, someone's miserable today, but then again, you always seem that way, Toshiku," I puffed through my nose like a bull ready to pumble the matador, reminding myself of Taurumon by the single sound.

_Weregarumon won't mind if you kick her _oshiri_ just once, Toshiku. He knows that his Auntie Onion deserves it for all that she's done—No, no, he didn't like fighting. Don't lose yourself. _

_Not yet, not now. I can't lose control of myself. I just can't. No more._

"Did your break-up with Koji go a bit too roughly for you?" _What about now, Toshiku? She thinks your bond with the Light Boy has grown so weak it has snapped and broken. Show that _subeta_ broken._

I ignored the powerfully deafening whispers in my mind, my fury at her accusation of separation pounding away within my veins even louder than the sensation of darkness and the un-nameable voice. _Why the _seiko_ does she care about what happens between Koji and me? What the _seiko_ is her deal? _"…Since _kusoimaimashii_ when did I _kusoimaimashii_ end it with Koji? I'll have you _kusoimaimashii_ know, we happen to be very happy together!" I didn't realize what I'd said until a few seconds after it had already escaped my tongue, and it was too late to stop myself and think for another few milliseconds. My face flushed deeply at the thought of Koji, and I averted my gaze from the both of them to avoid them noticing it. _Never thought that would ever come out of my mouth. At least not while talking to _her_._

I struggled to locate my anger again, but the memories of Koji and all the moments we'd had that would replay themselves over and over in my head for the hell of it, not that it bothered me. Those kind of times were called 'moments' for a reason: 'Moment' was a prettier word than 'instant'. My voice became weaker, and not nearly as demented as it had originally been during my fit of fury, though I doubted that this slight calmness was going to anywhere near long-lived. "We've hardly fought the whole time we've been…like we are…"

"Well, your little 'dream come true' isn't going to last as long as you'd hoped, at least not after what Koji and I talked about after you blacked out when you tried to attack my Beast Spirit—"

I didn't even give Zoe a chance to finish her sentence and actually clue me in about what she and Koji had even spoken over before my rage was back like a bad headache and I was at her throat, my knuckles snapping at the grip I had on the neck of her shirt. _Zoe must've told him something; that must be why he was all pissed when Zoe and I got into it. But…why would he believe her word…over mine? _"_Dono yo na seiko_ are you talking about? _You_ attacked _me_! And what do you mean after what you tal—"

The look on Zoe's face as JP put a hand on my rock-hard-tense shoulder was one that I knew would be burned into my memory until the day I ended up killing her: Eyes smirking because her lips could not, at least not with JP standing right there, the plastic surface meeting my own living, breathing, dagger-wielding gaze with a smug certainness that chilled me to the bone like a loud breathing in a dark room as you lay alone in your bed, shivering as heavy footsteps grow closer and closer, the breathing growing ever closer before it suddenly stops. And so does yours.

_I have to know what's going on behind that fraudulent stare. _I refused JP's tug on my shoulder, ordering me to release Zoe and step away from her; looking directly into her eyes, I could hear her happily prissfull mind plotting away. _"—oy them herself! It will all be so perfect soon, he'll see…They'll see her for the creepy monster she's been since the first day we saw her!" _Seiko_, I'm too late. I didn't act fast enough; not that that's really much different than it's ever been. But if something _is_ different…it's Zoe._

Finally JP was able to yank me away from Zoe, my fists still clenched, knuckles white, and a slightly horrified look on my face. Never in the mind of a Warrior had there ever been such an evil thought, I could feel it deep inside me. _My Ancient Spirit, she must know the difference between right and wrong. Zoe…her thoughts…they aren't right anymore. She…I should talk to her, just…talk—_

_You are being stupid, you don't solve predicamids by simply speaking! You fight until you force the answers out of your offender by torturing them! You are becoming more and more insane with each second I leave you!_

I trembled at the sudden cold surrounding me as the voice screamed at me, her bloodthirsty nature growing even more violent as her ire grew, almost reminding me of myself somehow. In a twisted kind of way, it was like she was telling me something I already kind of knew, but was still pulling the unknown out of the closet to show me something invisible. She'd have to do better than the impossible to convince me.

Neither JP or Zoe noticed my shivers, but I was incredibly glad that they hadn't. They raced off instead towards the pale beige tent—almost safari-hat colored actually—both of them shouting about how hungry they were. I was tempted to go after them, my own stomach growling at the thought of food—Stupid always hungry Beast Spirit—but the voice echoing in my head returned faster than I'd anticipated. Breathing heavily due to my growing fears, I did the only thing I could think to do now: I ran, away from JP and Zoe.

_You are not done with her; this will have to proceed later on. But…I don't want to talk about this anymore—Nonsense! You have no choice, you will find out what she is hiding from you before it is too late! Now follow them!_

_No…I-I won't! You can't tell me what to do! No one controls me but me!_ I shouted back at it, not even sure if it was possible to hold an actual conversation with an invisible enemy such as that killer nature. Whatever it was, it was growing closer and closer to me with each step I took, with each breath that my lungs claimed. Every beat of my heart, I could almost hear a second _thump_ residing beside my own. I stumbled, falling to the ground next to the corner of another little shop-place-thing; I tried to calm myself as I snuck up to the edge of it, peering out from behind it, searching the faces of every Digimon, looking for one that might sound like the voice haunting my inner ears.

I saw no one and nothing but happy, smiling Digimon. The fact that I truly was alone right now when it had spoken to me was enough to make me feel suddenly hollow, like the state of horror you fall into when you first realize where the creepy _oshiri_ psycho was hiding all along. _What is that thing trying to do to me? The next thing I know, something's going to be trying to grab my shoulder and drag me down into the murky sulfur of hell—_

My whole body froze, like ice filled me up from my head to my nose, as I felt a hand touch my shoulder, a comfortable warmth beginning to melt the cold hardness making me quaver. But many things could be warm, many voices knew how to pronounce my name. "Hey, Toshiku, what's wrong? You don't look so good. Are you feeling oka—"

Pivoting around on my toes, standing as I moved, I sent an uppercut into the face of the creep behind me. "Get away from me! Just leave me alone!" Without a second glance at the person, I put the pedal to the metal and got the hell away from there as fast as my feet could carry me. I hoped deep within myself that whoever had been back there wouldn't think twice about coming after me, and would just sit there in the dust and wonder what the hell just occurred.

I curved around every Digimon that came near me, dodging everything in my path and just running, that second heartbeat beginning to pound away in my ears again, that separate set of footsteps sprinting right along side me like my shadow had split apart from me, taking a part of me with it to bring it into reality. But like all shadows, they were a reflection of you, but only the darkest part of you; bringing something of that magnitude of anyone into the world was undeniably condemning it to live the rest of its moments in misery, until it finally became like an old toy, and was burned as was a forest struck by lightning.

Soon there was no longer any source of warmth near me, and I was alone with the ice and snow around and growing within me. I didn't know why I was still running, all I did know was that I couldn't stop. If I stopped, whatever was running beside me would cross into my path and overtake me like the pain of a heartbreak, the tears you cry in the dark like razor blades slicing your face until you do bleed, draining all the love you once held in your heart, making you feel better and better until there is nothing left to lose. And nothing left to feel. "If you wish to feel nothing, I will grant it!"

I skidded to a stop just in time to watch the ice break apart before my feet, directly where my next step would've fallen, and to see Sentimon rise up out of the shattered ice and below freezing water, slowly and threateningly, like The Slithery-Dee probably would've. Her golden wings were drenched, making them shine even more in the light, the temperature giving them a glittering appearance; her blood-tinged eyes filled with a tired hatred as she spoke again, "I'm tired of chasing you, waiting for Cherubimon's command to strike! I don't care what he wants anymore! I want Raveamon's status, and her power!"

The Sun Warrior lunged forward and grabbed me by the verre collar, just barely able to get her nails to wrap around it, leaving me dangling in the air, struggling against her choking grip. But I didn't have to suffer suffocation for a measurable time; Sentimon swung her arm back, and threw me with a force I'd never known that she had across the ice. I hit the cold solid hard, the heat of my face melting it ever so slightly, enough for the ice to become like a mask over my cheek.

I lifted my head and turned just in time to watch Sentimon slide evolve into a creature even more hideous and nightmare-distributing than Calmaramon and Gigasmon put into one: A long, thick, slick-with-slime creature that had to be over 40 feet long at the least; it was a pale, worn mahogany kind of shade, with so many legs—I don't think anyone would've wanted to even try to count all of those spindly things. But that was by no means the worst part, no way; two unreal-seeming poison claws, both of their fang-like points dripping with the overflow of the clear liquid, also mixed with the saliva seeping from the serrated, bristle-apparent mouth.

Oh, and it was looking directly at me with two black, beady little eyes, both of them filled with a lust for blood. And, of course, the blood it craved was mine, as had been stated by the normal-looking Sentimon.

I got back up onto my feet slowly, hoping that Sentimon might be just as suckish at controlling her Beast Spirit as the rest of us had been, but hoping without some kind of plan to fall back on was worthless. Reaching into my pocket, a sudden wave of distress twisted my stomach into a tight know: I still didn't have my D-Tector back; I had no Beast Spirit to fight Sentimon's with. _I guess Raveamon's going to have to do. She'll be strong enough to fend this insect off. I hope. _

Clenching my fists, I awaited the data to appear around them like always as the poor excuse for a horrible monster-centipede came at me, screeching and scraping across the ice like nails on a chalkboard. I began to quiver uncontrollably at the being of my impending doom came closer and closer; the data was taking far too long to appear, what was going on? The evolution had never hesitated like this before, was my Human Spirit…giving up on me? _Raveamon! _Dono yo na seiko_ is happening?_

I knew I wouldn't get an answer; Raveamon didn't and probably couldn't even get to my thoughts, she just existed in my DNA, her own merged with mine to make one human, but a human with a number of deadly secrets all the same. But this was no secret; this was a death sentence: For whatever reason…I couldn't spirit evolve. At all. _…Dear _Kamisama_, I think I might be dead. _

I had no time to think of another plan of action before the new Beast Spirit crashed down upon me like a wall of saliva, slime, and poison; her poison claws wrapped around me long before I could even think of running—not that anyone could ever outrun a Digimon like that—dragging me close to her lamprey-similar mouth. I thrashed against her grip as she forced the upper half of her body up into the air, but achieved absolutely nothing except for the liquid toxin leaking from the fangs gripping my shoulders, keeping me still, to run down my neck like sweat, seeping underneath my shirt and making me shiver at the warmth of it.

But that was nothing compared to the left side of your pelvis shattering.

I'd been too preoccupied with trying to avoid being cut by the sharp stingers to notice that this _yaro_ of a Beast Spirit was about to shred me like a knife to a neck. "Mukademon is my name, and breaking you will be my game!" Was all she gave me as a warning before taking my left hip into her mouth like you would a chicken wing. "Lampreda Frazzle!" My eyes popped open wide before I even felt the throbbing agony; I heard the sickening crack first, and I would've been more than happy to lose whatever I'd eaten last all over Mukademon's…head….thing.

Then I felt it, though.

Squeezing my eyes shut so tight I thought my whole head was going to implode on in, I shrieked strident, protracted, and high-pitched. A very real scream for very real pain. Some shrieks that echoed from my mouth were faked; it was a very successful trick used by many fighters to psych out the opponent, make them think you were more injured than you were, blinded by the malady even more than what you were in reality. I only wished I could use that strategy now.

I was completely sure that every single being in the Autumn Leaf Fair area could hear me, and were probably wondering what the hell was happening, and what soul was being tortured this time. _Guys, I know how your hearts work, but don't you dare come help. You'll get hurt, or worse, and I won't let that happen. Stay in the safety of the heat, stay together, and don't any of you come out into the ice. _A whole new pain erupted from the core of my body when Mukademon finally dropped me the 20 or so feet to the ground. I cried out when I hit the ground, my broken bones crashing to the earth first.

She dropped to the ground over me, giving me a pretty good shot of her uglier than hell face, and a face-full of her sticky spit. Her soulless black eyes looked pissed as _kuso hell _as she shouted at me, her voice tainted with hints of mockery and amusement at my shattered bones and thoughts of remaining in this ailing solitude, "You think they'd even come at all? Ha! Child, you are mistaken! They are happy you have left them and have returned to the sweet solitude of your dark heart; you are too blinded by the promises of love and friendship to be able to see through the lies!

"The mask hiding their true feelings is too thick for you to be able to pass through with the mind tricks Raveamon allows you to use. You will not learn from mere conversations with_ them_ what I can tell you here and now! Relinquish your life to me, Toshiku, and I will elucidate the lot of which you wish to know." The shape of what you could call a grin contorted Mukademon's face into some kind of clown-like expression, like IT, but more…bug-ish. But the smile wasn't what triggered my attention, making me compel my eyes to reopen and gaze up at her, at that horrifyingly sick sight.

I tried to make sense of her words as I shifted beneath her, sending a ricochet of pain from my hip up my spine, sending it all over my body. I spasmed beneath her for a minute, shaking as if I were having a seizure before trying to calm myself, and averted my gaze to look up at her as I lay there, trying to keep motionless. "…S-so what y-you'r-re sayi-ing is t-that if I-I let you…ch-chew on me fo-for a while…you'll answer any-any question that I bri-bring up?" Mukademon nodded slowly, the drool dripping from the corners of her freakish mouth and directly into my eye, making me let out a completely-unfitting-to-the-mood '…Ew' noise before attempting to rub it from my pupil, only to have my elbow snapped at by the beastly bug on top of me, leaving a gaping laceration down to the bone. The cut itself wasn't really extremely tender, it was just the slaver that was seeping down inside of it.

Her silence told me clearly that she was waiting for a direct 'yes or no' answer; at least she was giving me the option of thinking it through for a bit. I rested my head on the soft snow, taking my eyes off of the hideous thing above me and staring over at the contortion of heat in the air that I knew had to be the Autumn Leaf Fair. Everyone was there, everyone was safe, away from Mukademon. They couldn't see my bleeding, broken hip, or my pale, freezing skin; they wouldn't be able to see me in pain if I said yes. _The burn of the agony is worth getting rid of some questions…A bit of spilt blood won't be too bad, I guess. If Mukademon can tell me why I fall into evil so much, then it will all be worth it…Maybe she knows about the voice, or even Zoe—_

I had to admit, I was getting a bit desperate to know what was going on between Zoe, Takuya, and Koji. I hoped it wasn't as bad as what my mind was picturing. If I was lucky at all, it wouldn't be that sick and twisted. This was all probably just me overreacting, there was no way that Zoe would try to steal one or both of them away from my side and onto her side of the playing field. It was just plain impossible.

"Your answer, Sentinel, I'll be needing it, now." _…She…She needs my permission to gnaw on me…?_ Her salivation was increasing more and more with every second her nose (Wherever it was) breathed in the scent of the data-blood on her bristle-like teeth and snow, dripping every time on my face, stinging with warmth on the freezing skin each time. Slowly, prompted by the knowledge of an answer to come through the affliction, I nodded, gulping back my fear and trying to conjure up some courage.

Mukademon's face seemed to light up eerily at my gesture of a reply, causing a pit to form within my stomach, although part of me felt freakishly glad about whatever I was going to have to endure for the next whoever-knows-how-long. Mukademon moved from levitating over my head down to my legs, specifically right at my calf. Curiosity seemed to get the best of me. "W-What are you g-going to do?" It was starting to get irritating how I could barely speak due to the pain; I could hardly even understand myself the tenderness was making my voice so incoherent.

"It is better not to know until the event occurs at times, Toshiku. You may as well ask questions while you still have enough blood." I understood what she meant when it all started; I had been right, in a way. She was going to chew on me, except, what I missed…was that she meant to do that until I'd drained of all blood. _It might be easier to awaken Raveamon's Spirit if I'm in pain; I'll be able to get away after a few answers. I can feel it…in my leg._ I learned after nearly fainting that it was best not to even watch your leg starting to disappear in a mess of excruciating agony and red-on-white all around the member.

_Now or never. It's my fault for making it so obvious that I had questions in the first place._ "Mukademon—_Itai_!—Wh-why can't I control myself—Ahh!—w-w-when I get angry? Why do I l—_Yabai_!—lose my own personality when I—" I didn't even get to finish my second one before she was interrupting me, spitting out blood and something that I assumed shouldn't have seen the light of day _ever_, be it part of me or not. I realized that it was part of me when an all knew sensation coursed all over my body, almost like something tearing me apart—_Well, duh._—muscle tissue, bone, and all.

"Why don't you ask a difficulty you actually wish to know the solution to?" Mukademon inquired irritably, clearly annoyed by the fact that she was being distracted by me being a bit stronger willed than she had anticipated, and _was_ actually asking her questions. "I can feel your pulse; it is a direct line to your mind. This is not what you want the most."

_How…how did she know…? _

_She is of your emotions, stupid girl. Why wouldn't she know? _Bonkura_…_

_Rude…_ I shook away the presence of the voice again, and instead gave Mukademon the question she knew I wished I could figure out the answer to, "Why is Zo—Iiiiittaaaii!—" The _kusoimaimashii subeta_ tore at my leg even more rapidly, and harder, literally dragging me along the ground as she ripping at me. _Holy _kusoimaimashii kuso_! She's gonna tear my whole _chikushou_ leg off, _shimatta_!_

I practically shrieked, 'Bloody murder!' when those two poison talons drove into both of my legs as she continued to toss her head around, her teeth lacerating my thigh and calf like multiple saws, tearing flesh and snapping bone like toothpicks. Bokomon wasn't going to be very happy about me being pretty much crippled. _He'd be even more pissed if I got my freakin' self killed._ I tried to shout above her snarling and the echo of my own screaming, "_Dono yo na seiko o shite iru_?"

"You cannot change your mind and run away now!" She spat at me, her eyes now drilling right along with her teeth, clouded with bloodlust as she snapped the bone she'd been gnawing on for the past few seconds. It hurt like a _subeta_, burning sensations crawling and springing up all over my body, filling my brain until I was sure my whole head was just going to pop. I threw my head back and let out a wild howl at the breakage, and slammed a numbing leg into Mukademon's head. I didn't care if we had a deal; she hadn't kept her part of it, there was absolutely no reason for me to keep mine. _That _subeta kusoimaimashii_ lied to me. Dude, _dono yo na seiko_ was I _kusoimaimashii_ expecting anyway? Her to actually tell me what I wanna know? She wouldn't even know what I'm talking about! There's no way she could understand!_

Mukademon hadn't seen that move coming, making it simple for me to hit her directly in the eye with my heel. She recoiled with a shriek, giving me enough time to skid a few feet away, not that I got very far since I only had, like, one working member of my body. I could hear the two hearts pounding again inside my chest, my own oddly fainter than the second this time, and now…her voice was whispering right in my ear… _You…host…will die…like a sinner pleading salvation from a stone! Perish at the will of Cherubimon!_

_…I should listen…If I try not to pay attention to the pain…before I know it…it'll all be over…_

_Toshiku Yumari, do not surrender. In times of great trouble, call upon me, and I will deliver you from the hands of your foes. All you need to do is call. _

I knew that voice; AncientRaiafemon, she was still helping me from the other side of the light of life. After everything, her heart had lost none of its splendorous radiance. _I will fight for you. I will not lose; I will win for you; I'll destroy Rowloamon and rekindle the honor of your name. I swear it, AncientRaiafemon. _"I…I won't give up! Not now! Not yet!" I shouted at a stunned Mukademon as I struggled onto my knees, blood dripping rapidly into my eyes when I leaned heavily on my right knee, the pain in my hip weighing out my pride. "Ancient Spirit of Moon! Hear my cry!"

My vision just seemed to fade into black when light suddenly surrounded both of us, wind rushing around our bodies like hurricanes, the sound of thunder accompanying them and deafening me. The wind sucked the breath from my lungs, nearly suffocating me as the air around me started to become hotter and hotter, but I couldn't see anything because of the blood in my eyes. The Digital World beneath me shook so violently I was sure it was going to split open and swallow both of us. The sound of heavy rain and metal clashing together cut through the thick air like a dagger, clearing a path directly to me as the blood was finally blinked back out of my eyes and I saw clearly again.

Thick clouds covered the ground all around me, making it nearly impossible to see anything coming or leaving. But there were no sounds; complete and utter silence. One thing was for sure: Mukademon would never have been capable of making such little noise, she had to have fled when all those freaky sounds and the flash of brightness shot through the atmosphere. She hadn't seemed too brave; she must've realized that I couldn't spirit evolve and had found a bit of encouragement in attacking me thusly.

I heard him before I saw him; distress racked my whole body, the fire of agony smoldering within my crushed pelvis. I dropped back onto the ice, holding back screams at the sensations while I tried to keep my eyes on him. Vigomon had returned. But he looked different this time; his eyes were completely shrouded in black, not one ounce of light seemed to penetrate his gaze. Cherubimon had completely blocked him from recognizing anything or anyone; he knew to do only one thing now, it was evident in the way he walked and scanned the area: Search and destroy.

I was laying right in his path; we locked gazes, dead and senseless piercing living and hurt. I attempted to hold back a cry at the crippling feeling in my legs, the poison Mukademon had stabbed into them making the whole lower half of my being shudder and shake in agony. A matter of seconds passed both of us by without him moving; all he did was stare me down, picking out every single wound on my body and making a mental note of my weak points at the current moment: Everything.

Suddenly I just couldn't take it anymore, and I let out a small whimper, successfully holding back a fair amount of my cries and shrieks of ache and hurt. Vigomon rapidly dashed forward, sword drawn and clenched in the death traps of his fists; skidding to a stop on the ice before me, he thrusted the sword at my head. I couldn't move any part of my body, the discomfort racking me over and over again too great now to be able to even lift an arm. I couldn't even raise my head to summon the Ancient's power. Closing my eyes, I prepared myself for about 3 seconds worth of agony like I'd never felt before.

_Daijiro…if you can hear me…I want you to know that I won't go to the same place as you. I'll go exactly where I deserve to, and that's hell. I don't really believe in all that Kamisama stuff, so to say, but I've always had the feeling there were places where people go to live their never-ending life after they die; I think there is any afterlife. But it's what I get after what I did to you; I'm guilty of making you hurt, making you feel the pain I felt on the inside when Cherubimon wouldn't get the hell out of my head, when he controlled every move I made, and every sound that uttered from my throat. I never dreamed of hurting you myself, but that's no reason for you to think that I deserve forgiveness by any means at all. I've earned death by blaming you for what had happened to me, by what was happening to me. I had no right, and no proof. And I just thought it would be a nice idea if I got this back out in the air before I left this life: I'm sorry that I hurt you._

Vigomon let out an irritated, I'm-sick-of-this-_kuso_ yell before I felt the ice shudder near my skull; when I gained the strength to look up, I saw his sword back in his hand, but there was a jagged crack in the ice where his sword had struck it. _Did he…did he miss his target? Or does he need permission to kill me like Mukademon apparently did? And why the hell did she ask anyways? Can't you just go up and start nibbling somebody's shoulder? Okay, maybe not, but still._

"Because, young Sentinel—" _Wow, one of the first people to call me something that has the littlest bit of respect to it. He must've been the only one who hit his head, or something like that._ "Lord Cherubimon has declared that none but one of his minions are allowed to destroy you, and her time has not yet come to appear before your eyes, however unintelligent the mass they lead to may be—" _…Never freakin' mind…_ "—Mukademon realized that, and plotted that it wouldn't technically be unloyal to Cherubimon-_sama_ if she received an uncaring answer from you, and tricked you thusly—" _Dude…holy _kuso_. He's actually cluing me in on everything! …_Naze seiko_ is he doing that?_ "And cannibalism, _Bonkura_, is in fact frowned upon in most societies." _…He does not look like the type to have watched 'Willy Wonka' enough to be able to remember lines and frickin' quote it…_

He turned from me, apparently having changed his mind on what he'd come to do, or had already done it and was now prepared to leave. But I still had one more question. "Wait!" I reached out towards him, grimacing at the sting in my shoulder but doing my best to ignore it and keep my eyes focused on Vigomon. "If you'll tell me what I want to know…then please, tell me what Zoe was speaking to Koji about! What is she trying to do to me? And Takuya and Koji? I'm begging you! Please, I need to know—"

"Moon Sentinel…" Vigomon spoke slowly, his back turned to me, black eyes straight ahead to face the sunlight; I could only guess that it felt more like a drizzling shiver than the radiant heat to him. I knew how that felt; it was so cold to be lost in the dark, lost in Cherubimon's lies. _But there's nothing I can do. He may've been kind to me once, but that had to have just been a façade to learn my vital signs…He can't be my brother…He is no Daijiro. _"While I know nothing of this Daijiro you speak of, I can hear her tainted thoughts; they are so very loud. She hopes to—"

Vigomon unexpected silenced himself, and he stopped moving entirely; I couldn't even tell if he was breathing or not. Maybe it was hurting him to do the necessary act; I knew it was killing me to live. He began to walk away from me again, nothing but the sound of harmony and the melodic beat of his feet hitting the ground in time to the tune of his words to accompany my solitude, " When you're at the end of the road, and you've lost all sense of control…And your thoughts have taken their toll when your mind breaks the spirit of your soul…Your faith walks on broken glass, and the hangover doesn't pass…Nothing's ever built to last…You're in ruins… " _…He's trying to tell me, I know it…but why can't I understand anything he's attempting to explain? Why can I never understand the answers? What's wrong with my head?_

"Toshiku!"

I averted my gaze from the blank air that Vigomon's shape had once filled to the approaching silhouette of a human. I tried to raise my hand, at least move my arm to show that I was hurt, that I couldn't stand, but there was an abrupt pressure on the side of my skull, but not like my head was just being stepped on like Taurumon had done to me. This was as if something were thrashing around within the membranes of my mind, sending a black shadow over my sight and rendering me helplessly cold, inside and out.

_

* * *

_

" …You know you're not the only one…~

_" …When they all come crashing down, mid-flight…You know you're not the only one…When they're so alone you find a back door out of life…You know you're not the only one…~ _

_" We're all grieving…lost and bleeding…~ _

_" All our lives we've been waiting for someone to call our leader! All your lies, I'm not believing! Heaven, shine a light down on me!~ _

_" So afraid to open your eyes, hypnotized…You know you're not the only one… _

_" Never understood this life, and you're right, I don't deserve! But you know, I'm not the only one!~ _

_" We're all grieving…lost and bleeding…~ _

_" All our lives we've been waiting for someone to call our leader! All your lies, I'm not believing! Heaven, shine a light down on me!~ _

_" Don't look down, don't look into the eyes of the world beneath you! Don't look down, you'll fall down! You'll become their sacrifice!~ _

_" Right or wrong? Can't hold on to the fear that I'm lost without you! If I can't feel, I'm not mine…I'm not real!~ _

_" All our lives we've been waiting for someone to call our leader! All your lies, I'm not believing! Heaven, shine a light down on me…!~ "_

* * *

I awoke with a shock, both from my dream and a sudden burst of chills all over my neck. Putting a hand to my neck to see if there might just be something there, I felt the verre collar still there around my throat, all of the verres still in their rightful place. Except for one. Thank _Kamisama_, one wasn't missing…but there was one more there than there should've been. _It's so cold…does that mean…Tommy must've been the form I saw coming towards me after Vigomon left…He must've seen it in the snow or something and known what to do with it—_

"Great! Toshiku's finally awake!" I rolled my head to the side to see I was in Takuya's arms, surrounded by the heat of his body, amplified comfortably by his element. It sure as hell beat the cold all around me, no doubt about that; the heat was numbing the pain in my hip and legs, tender as they were now, the fact that his grip on said member was uncomfortably close to the now bandaged wound. "I was getting scared that you had lost too much blood."

"Yes, Toshiku," Bokomon's voice agreed, though I couldn't see him—Takuya's warmth was too much for me to be able to resist sleep, and I'd let my eyes fall closed again. The white, know-it-all Digimon had a tinge of concern in his usual librarian tone as he continued in a much quieter voice, "There would be no telling what may've happened it Datamon hadn't had what we needed to stop your bleeding and bandage your injuries. My dear girl, there is a chance you could've died—"

"Ha!" Zoe scoffed, untouched anywhere in her heart by the thought of my passing, not that I'd expected her to feel anything for me. But it didn't feel good that she had thought I was going to die. And had felt not even a shred of sentiment besides excitement over it. "Knowing _Ku-kun_ over there, that's probably what she was hoping for! I bet she—"

"Zoe!" Koji spoke her name harshly, I could feel the glower on his face, sense the heatedness of it. His voice was so cold towards Zoe, so enraged and smoldering; it was hard to see that he'd been cut deep inside to even think of me leaving forever, but not for someone who could feel the emotions within someone's thoughts. "Toshiku didn't know Mukademon would be out there waiting for her, and she's much smarter than you think! If she would've realized there was danger lurking nearby, she wouldn't have even left you or JP's side. She's a much nobler Warrior than that."

"Oh please, Koji! You've got to be kidding me! Have you forgotten that she _punched_ you? She's always the one who ends up hurting one of us, and you call that _noble_? Koji, one day, she's not going to feel uncaring towards her true self, and she's going to be the one to kill one of us! We all make mistakes, but it's when you make the wrong choice because you want to make something of it isn't forgivable!"

_

* * *

_

"Toshiku Yumari…I feel the pain of the lonely darkness within your heart; it is like sweet sugar to me, your bitterness. Listen to what I tell you; I can show you a world you fully understand, there will be no part of it that is unknown to you by any means. All you need to do, is believe me.

_" __Pain, without love. Pain, I can't get enough. Pain, I like it rough 'cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all…~_

_" __Pain, I can't get enough. Pain, I like it rough 'cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all…~_

_" __You're sick of feeling numb. You're not the only one. I'll take you by the hand and I'll show you a world that you can understand…~_

_" __This life is filled with hurt when happiness doesn't work. Trust me, and take my hand; when the lights go out you will understand…~_

_" __Pain, without love. Pain, I can't get enough. Pain, I like it rough 'cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all…~__  
" __Pain, without love. Pain, I can't get enough. Pain, I like it rough 'cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all…~_

_" __Anger and agony are better than misery. Trust me, I've got a plane. When the lights go off, you will understand…~_

_" Pain, without love. Pain, I can't get enough. Pain, I like it rough 'cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all…~__  
" __Pain, without love. Pain, I can't get enough. Pain, I like it rough 'cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all, rather pain!_

_" __I know, I know that you're wounded. You know, you know that I'm here to save you. You know, you know I'm always here for you. I know, I know that you'll thank me later…~_

_" __Pain, without love. Pain, I can't get enough. Pain, I like it rough 'cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all…~__  
" __Pain, without love. Pain, I can't get enough. Pain, I like it rough 'cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all…~  
" __Pain, without love. Pain, I can't get enough. Pain, I like it rough 'cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all, rather feel pain than nothing at all, rather feel pain!__" _

_

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_

I know, it's a bit of a cliffhanger, but I kinda had to finish it fast since someone's waiting for the computer. So, I'll be back to start working on 18 and clear some stuff up in about 10 days or so. Please review 16 and this one and do the poll on my profile. Thanks :)


	20. Chapter 18: Change Heart, Change World

**Finally, chapter 18 is up and ready to read! You guys do not want to know how many times I had to change what I was going to do with this chapter! Sorry about the ending, it's kinda sad, my eyes actually starting watering up when I wrote it, but I hope you guys like it anyways! 19 is next, WOOHOO!**

**Enjoy~**

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Chapter 18: Change a Heart, Change the World

_"Why did he do all of those things to those innocent little Digimon? What has become of my CeCe-kun?" A Digimon about the size of a teenager my age lay on her back in course, rich brown dirt, one oddly fingered hand over the left side of her chest, right above where her heart would be. Her other metallic-fingered, chrome and black hand reached up to touch her face, her bruised, cut face. But the cuts were no ordinary scraps…her mouth was like that of the Slit-Mouth Woman, the corners torn on each side to reveal the black shadows within her mouth and her shiny pearl teeth. Not only that, but her pale skin was tainted by a lightning bolt-similar mark, running from her depression-struck face, emblazed upon her cheek for the sheer pain of remembering her long-gone love. "Why did he do this to me? CeCe didn't have to harm anyone…Didn't he know that I…that I…loved him…?" Pain banged like a trapped buffalo through her blood, the distraction causing her fingers to slip and cut her own nose, though her power just allowed it to heal in a matter of seconds. She could only wish the ability would comply with a figurative heart._

_"I don't think he could remember, broken spirit, for the knowledge of his great power was too much for him to control, and it drained the strength of his feelings for you, like it does to many hearts. It is sad, and hurts; I doubt that there will ever be a being that goes without feeling love's wonderfully agonizing sting," A gentle, compassion-stricken voice hurdled through the air like a gymnast: Graceful and tranquil. She moved as stated also, each step of her furry hound-feet landing exactly where meant to, not a millimeter out of place. As if one falsely positioned movement was enough to destroy the universe, and any world within it._

_Black, white, gold, and chrome armor covered the newcomer's legs, hips, torso, and head, the symbol of the Moon Dweller Village upon her white-armored chest, the metal shimmering with a silvery appearance in the dimming light. A lengthy, black-magic, furry tail stuck out from underneath the thick protection on her back, the tip of it dipped in pure white to resemble the sparkling radiance of the light shining down from the moon, the two elements spinning and weaving together like two torn hearts mending themselves through the other's warmth. _

_Her face was blank and palely lit by the dull glow of the hidden sun, but concern, serenity, and a kind heart were bright like a persona in love within her ruby eyes. "I can understand how excruciating it is to lose someone, though the both of you remain alive. Safety will separate many, but a mission that cannot fail has gotten in the way of sentiment in my case…_

_"But the past will remain as is for as long as whomever it belongs to it to wish it, it is suicide to let it interfere any farther in the present than to teach you lessons, and suicide brings no future, as is evident in death. Realize this, dear child, you do not have to give in to the doubt within you, not yet, not without trying once more," The extraordinary Digimon's oddly feathered wings flapping absent-mindedly behind her as she extended her gloved hand, the box-like symbol also there, engraved into her palm in white-rimmed gold. "Take my hand; I can show you how to bring him back into the light of the true world in a way you wouldn't necessarily expect."_

_Looking deep within the blood-red gems studding the eyes of the being above her, the metallic young Digimon's ghostly blue eyes looked up with what one could call hope, but immediately it fell from her gaze like a human, tired of life, sick of the misunderstanding people, making a leap from the edge of a cliff, faith in the words of another life. _

_A happier ending._

_Seeing the evident hesitation, the red-marked Digimon tried to smile reassuringly, kneeling down beside the unsure being, and placing her hand back by her side for the moment. "You know, beauty isn't really the appearance, though it is a part of it. True beauty is something no one can ever obtain, but…" She looked around warily, like she was expecting another to come up from the shadows to hear her words. Leaning close to the ear of the pained and confused feminine Digimon resting on the ground before her, she continued in a hushed whisper, that same serene smile on her lips, "I've seen it before. But only twice. You may not realize it, but you hold that trait. It is one thing that no one can take from you. _

_"The gentleman who holds my heart without knowledge of it, to this day, he is the only one I recall the face of when the word 'beautiful' is put into the air like an unexpected flurry. Eyes like his are quite difficult to come by, and when you find them, moreso find yourself locked in his gaze…the feeling…" She physically trembled, her cheeks heating like embers even thinking about the sensations she must've once felt. "It's nearly impossible to describe, but I think you may've felt this sensation within your veins before. The burn of the flame of the heart melting within your very ribcage…the hurt it brings you is intoxicating, one might call it…addicting…" The check-mark-red-haired Digimon stood again as the shell of a soul before her nodded, agreeing with a slight grin at the familiar sensation that most felt when they were with the one they'd searched their dreams for since the beginning of eternity._

_"Have you…" The short-haired blonde chose her words carefully, thinking each syllable over as if speaking any one of them in a way other than what was meant would mean chaos. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly through her nose, courage filled the blue eyes, and her normal voice—powerful and laced with the bravery of her heart—broke through her doubt and the frozen silence of the steadily escaping day, "Have you still that offer?" A small grin crossed her face, even though it was difficult to see another expression due to the wound; she rose onto her feet, back straight and shoulders squared in the presence of a Digimon of the Starry One. If only she had realized this was the being she'd been speaking with, no other persona was similar to the heart of the Ancient of Moon. _

_The star jumper returned the gesture of expressions, and extended her hand to the now standing combatant. "It never left the air before your grasp, my scarred sister. But this offer comes with a promise, an oath, if you will. Before you become aware of my condition, you must be sure. No doubt must ever enter your heart or your mind, for it is not you alone who it will affect—_

* * *

"WooWooooo! Chug-chug, chuggity chug!"

I groaned at the disturbance, curling in on myself and hoping to return to the dream of the two strange Digimon. I knew one, but the other's name still hadn't been revealed; it felt like I should know who that was, that she was of some kind of importance to me. But I couldn't recognize her face, or her voice. A scar like that across one's face would be practically impossible to forget, or even miss.

After a few seconds of chanting the last few lines spoken in the conversation of the dream over and over again in my head, I opened my eyes with a glum realization: That dream was not coming back tonight, or any other night. And that meant I wasn't going to be able to learn the name of the heart broken Digimon AncientRaiafemon had been so deep in conversation with. Or what that promise could've been.

The condition had to have been something about her doubting heart, but how could one heart affect another? You had to truly be two in one to be able to access that kind of ability. And it wasn't like just anyone could go around having a slight case of MPD; hearts or spirits had to bond, or flesh had to meet its match. But it wasn't like either event came without a consequence if not thought through properly. With a persona, you had to be cautious about who exactly your other self was, what was really inside their/your mind. A half-step in the wrong direction could send your control off the side of the road into the ditch, and the wheel controlling the movements of your body will be in the hands of someone who knows exactly what they're doing.

Flesh was different, very, very different. Whatever and whoever it was, it didn't matter; it always took time. It took bravery; it took a being willing to make the risks of shattering to be with the one they'd dreamed into life. There were a few special words for that kind of a predicamid, and they just seemed to get more and more cliché: Destiny, and love.

"For a human that doesn't believe in her own future, you blame many things on destiny's accord," My D-Tector sounded on the Trailmon bench beside me, the voice—for once—wasn't Ophanimon's, but Wereraiomon. Picking up the black and white device, Wereraiomon's furry face appeared on the screen, an expression apparently asking, 'Notice anything different about yourself today, Toshiku?' there on her face like I should've realized something by now. "Feel anything, human?"

_…_Dono yo na_—Oh, holy _kuso_!_ I hurriedly gazed down at my legs; I couldn't believe it, I didn't believe it. There were blood stains on my pants and shirt, but that wasn't too hard to imagine; the difficult thing was that my hip wasn't shattered anymore, and my legs weren't torn up with acidic venom and serrated teeth marks. "It had to have been a dream, it had to have been a dream," I mumbled, mostly to convince myself that all of this was just plain ludicrous. There was no way in heaven, hell, or anywhere in between that anything or anyone could heal this fast. "JP must've snuck some kind of drug in the last thing I ate, whatever the hell it was…It's just—"

"Impossible?" Wereraiomon spoke the word with a laugh, she knew I used it often to describe something I couldn't comprehend. I embarrassment of being so predictable caused my face to redden slightly as I sat up a bit more, glancing down at my legs as she continued, "You should practice believing the impossible in this world, young one. I think you'd find living much easier if you didn't ponder on the impossible, and yet thought of it as possible. When you think of it like that, you'll realize that there is nothing that cannot happen. Nothing you cannot do.

"As for your wounds…they were no dream. Not even you, with a mind like you have, could imagine such a thing. You'd have to be big on those movies you call horror in your world to be able to think of something like that. Your actual dream, on the other hand…" Wereraiomon slid slowly into a silent state, her ears twitching lightly; I knew how powerful her senses were, but at the moment, I just wished she would clue me in or something. It would be the slightest bit helpful. Especially since no one was coming towards the empty train car we were residing in.

Her forest eyes narrowed slightly as she stared me down, almost checking to see if my whole body was what a normal human's should look like. As if there was something she could hear…_inside _of me. A creature of hatred and malice, moving around within my veins, taking over every red and white blood cell, every fiber of my heart, rewriting the desires of my very soul.

_The voice._ My muscles quivered at the thought of the chills her tone brought, and my body trembled at the remembrance of her anger when I refused to listen to her commands to take her to the Warriors, or face a consequence that would enrage more than anyone's fair share of hearts—even now I wondered what she meant. But was it possible that Wereraiomon could sense something was there, that something—or even someone—had passed through the barricade the elements of my friends had unknowingly made to keep Cherubimon out? The shields they held as they guarded my soul like I stood watch over theirs...was anything capable of surpassing them, the Legendary Warriors…the friends I'd had the longest since the fatality of my family?

"…Child…" The Digi-Wolf I held a special bond with through our spilt blood spoke carefully, like her words of concern were just another time bomb in my hand as soon as they were calculated and understood by my mess of a mind, and one too many would set them all off at once, destroying everything as the two of us knew it. She was treating me like I was a deranged lunatic lurking in the shadows of the night sky, bent on self-affliction, and just waiting for the perfect victim to grow one step too close. One inch too near their eternal torture. "…Don't misunderstand me. Your control…it isn't in _your_ hands as much as you may wish it…But it…" She let out a small sigh, obviously not wanting to just come out and say what she thought it could be for fear of setting me off. _She…She's…afraid…What does she see that I can't…?_ "It's not what you think, Toshiku. I'll watch her as long as I can, but…please, for AncientRaiafemon's sake…don't go near a—"

Suddenly the screen on my D-Tector went completely black, like total darkness but so much worse. Wereraiomon had seemed so spooked, and a Digimon like her had to be nearly impossible to shake; there was something I was supposed to be aware of…but what? "Wereraiomon? Wereraiomon?" I called out her name a few times as I hit any button on my D-Tector, be it one that I actually knew the purpose of or not. No reply; not even one little flash of static coming near my D-Tector. It was almost as if…something had taken the power from it…and whatever it was...I could still feel its presence.

I tightened my grip on my lifeless D-Tector, my knuckles turning white along with the rest of my skin as a chill pressed up against me, the electric sensation of skin against skin following it. Trembling and whimpering lightly in my fear, I wanted to run, I wanted to just get up and find someone to help me. My eyes widened like a deer in headlights when I realized something that spelled out '_kuso_': Whatever was before me, giving me these feelings on the inside and outside…was holding me down with an unearthly strength.

For a moment, a flicker of a silhouette flashed across my vision, the apparent face of the being very close to my own…I could even feel its soft hair against my face if I concentrated hard enough. My heartbeat picked up rapidly again when I thought that maybe, just maybe, this thing hovering above me could be the owner of the voice. But I second guessed myself at the unexpected other feeling entering my system, almost as if someone were trying to explain another's behavior, by describing their own. Of everything I could've caught that made any sense to the English language, I got three words, all of them in different parts of its 'sense-speech', so it was basically useless to me without the rest, but something was blocking everything but those three words: Wind….Liar…Wrong…

_…_Dono yo na seiko_ is that supposed to _kusoimaimashii_ mean?_ The presence above me left in a hurry, as if having been chased away by another existence. I assumed that the other being had just been Wereraiomon, watching over my mind like she had mutually promised to do. That must've been why her message on the D-Tector had cut itself short; she'd sensed the presence above me and had gone to investigate, and finding that it must not have been a friend to us, had sent it on its way. _Why can't they just have name tags that you can actually see?_

The Digivice screen was still blank when the door of the train car opened slightly, enough for a with-egg Digimon and his Santa-pants-stealing buddy to come into the car. Closing the door behind them, Bokomon came up to me with a sudden smile on his face, kinda like the kind you got when something happened that you were hoping for but didn't really expect to work out. He chimed a 'good morning' before his voice returned to a slightly more strenuous and frightened tone, "…Dear girl, how are you feeling?"

I stared at Bokomon; he'd have to be blind not to be able to see that I was as good as good could be. Maybe he was just as taken aback by it as I was. "…Why am I completely alright?" I answered his question with another of my own, not like that was really any different when talking to a Digimon with, to quote Seraphimon, 'A book that held all the answers'. "It's impossible—" A small growl from my D-Tector, nearly making me smile smugly. I may not have been able to see her, but Wereraiomon could still hear me while listening for anything abnormal. _Yeah, I used that word._ "—to heal that fast. It…it just is…"

Bokomon looked at me as if I were the dumbest person since Neemon's Uncle Ferdinand, like there was something so painfully obvious about me, something I should've known, but clearly didn't. I was glad he was fully prepared to show me just how much of an idiot I was. "Toshiku, there is a very, very old legend that goes back to the very beginning of the Digital World; in fact, it has been passed down through story-telling through Neemon's family. Even I had never heard of it before I met Neemon, though it took quite a while to actually write it all down because his Grandmamon's false teeth kept falling out while she was telling it—"

"That's my Grandmamon for you! Never thought to use duct tape till _I_ came around—OW!" I held back a grin when Bokomon snapped the rabbit's pants with his normal annoyance of the yellow friend he'd had for so long. This was, in a certain point of view, the way that those two got along; by Bokomon expressing his irritation by the snap of a waistband.

With a following glare at his companion, Bokomon cleared his throat and continued thusly, "…Well, hm, anyway…Now, where was I…Oh! The legend says that there was once a very intricately designed Digimon called Shitsurenmon; there was none like her among all the others. Never had there been a temper like hers, it often got her into tough situations that she had no choice but to dig herself out of, making her attitude quite bold, confident, and powerful.

"But Shitsurenmon was a Digimon of solitude, thinking that there was no one in the world that could handle her when she hit her boiling point. Many Digimon attempted to court her, but she refused their affection after time and kept traveling the Digital World, in search of a purpose that would suit her. However, she found nothing, and no one.

"After many years of being alone and feeling nothing for anyone that surrounded her, the war of the Beast and Human Digimon began, and she was forced to choose a side. But she had befriended Digimon of both kinds, and didn't want to betray her only friends, so she chose to remain neutral. Though, as time went on, and more and more innocent Digimon lost their lives, she felt that she could no longer wait for someone to be a hero. She knew she had to find that someone herself.

"Scouring the whole world, Shitsurenmon tried everything she could think of to find someone brave enough to speak up against the fighting. But no one she talked to had the courage to break through the haze of rage and malice, and ran from her request for aid instead. With each Digimon she questioned, her confidence in finding the one faded more and more.

"One day, she finally lost all of her hope and fell to her knees, her eyes filling with tears at the thought of never being able to stop the war. Then suddenly a bright light filled the atmosphere in front of her, and when she looked up, an angel Digimon was standing before her, offering his hand to help her onto her feet again. Shitsurenmon didn't know what to think of this newcomer, but she knew one thing: He was completely different from her, but still the same, in ways not many could imagine.

"But this Digimon was unlike any other she had ever seen, he was Lucemon. Shitsurenmon was cautious of him, but stayed near him every night and day, testing him in multiple ways to learn everything about him that was possible. She never left his side, growing fonder of him the longer she knew him, and soon began to think that this was no ordinary feeling. Haven't you ever wondered where the saying 'love at first sight' came from? Humans have gotten more from us Digimon than you may realize, Toshiku.

"One day, Shitsurenmon decided to bring up the sensation to Lucemon, see how he would react to it. The further she got into her…well, confession, you could call it, the redder her face became, and the warmer the air became around the two—it is said that the grass even smoldered and was permanently singed around them. Changes could be noticed in Lucemon's features also: He had troubles looking away from her, his own face becoming quite heated and red, being able to assume what she was talking to him about. They both knew that the feelings that they sensed within each other had to be something that was meaningful, though neither ever thought that—"

"They fell in love!" Neemon exclaimed cheerfully, his hands folded near his chin with a goofy smile on his face as he restrained an, 'Aww!'. I couldn't help but smile at the way he put it so simply; Bokomon obviously had a very detailed way of describing it, and had probably been hoping to make it a bit more meaningful and sentimental than that. But heck, it was the truth. Even though it did earn Neemon a whack over the head for interrupting.

"Eh-hem, well, that didn't go as planned…But yes, Neemon has put it correctly: The sensation they felt was the burning light of love. After realizing such, Shitsurenmon assumed that this was the sign that she had been looking for in the Digital World's savior. There was none like Lucemon, and never would be another even similar. She knew he was the one. Telling him thusly, Lucemon agreed to stop the fight and help peace to reign the world again.

"The rest, sadly, follows the past of the Digital World's destruction: Lucemon was able to convince the Digimon to end the war, but not long after he went insane with his power, torturing the Digimon under his rule. Even harming the one he loved the most without even a bat of an eyelash at Shitsurenmon's words, begging him to open his eyes and realize what he was doing. I hate to describe the gruesomeness of her injuries, but I feel I must. Lucemon—"

"He cut her mouth at the edges, turning her beautiful face into a copy of a mythical murderer: The Slit-Mouth Woman. And he branded her with the mark of a thunder bolt, running down her face as if being shot from the clouds…" I trailed off with my own interruption, having felt the need to let him know I had some clue of what he was talking about. His look of, 'Quiet, or the story stops' made me take a mental note, though: If Bokomon's telling a story, listen as intently for pauses as you can. Then you can put up a decent argument for having 'cut him off'. Before he continued, I decided to quickly add in how I knew; it might be a good thing for him to know that I was getting dreams about my Ancient Spirit's past. And another Digimon's life. "I had…a dream. And she was in it. It had to have been just after the attack…"

Bokomon nodded his slight approval of me having informed him of the dream, and continued about where I'd left off, "Yes, that's exactly what he did, Toshiku. Pardon my French, but I find it hard to believe that someone as compassionate as Lucemon—or so he was described by Neemon's Grandmamon—could turn into such a _rokudenashi_.

"Nonetheless, Shitsurenmon's heart was shattered; she knew she alone wasn't enough to bring back the Lucemon she'd loved, but didn't know how or who could help. But your Ancient Spirit, AncientRaiafemon, felt her pain, and came from across the Digital World, leaving the Legendary Warriors for a moment, to console her broken soul. She told her that there was a way to bring the one she cared for back into the light, but it wasn't going to be a very simple process. But Shitsurenmon didn't care what it took; the only thing she cared about was in agony deep inside, and she intended to save him…or die trying…

"After having defeated Lucemon and sealing him away from the light of the sun, AncientRaiafemon felt despair at the loss of Shitsurenmon—who had sacrificed herself in order to give the Legendary Spirits a fighting chance against Lucemon—and falling to her knees, swore on her grave that Shitsurenmon would be allowed to come back one day, the broken heart within her fallen body becoming capable of bonding with another shattered heart. But no one has seen Shitsurenmon on the face of the Digital World since that day…There is no heart cracked enough to bond with a creation like Shitsurenmon…and if you truly ponder it, I can't say I'm surprised that a Digimon of such sentiment could locate another heart that was even close to similar…"

Bokomon let out a deep, but respectful sigh to catch his breath after talking for so long. I could tell by the way he was regaining his usual breathing habit that he was expecting at least one question from me about the healing, or the legend itself, or even why it was passed down through Neemon's family line, but no, I had a different inquiry. "So…" I grinned slightly, mentally noting to any Spirit that was listening that if this was considered offensive, they had my apologies. "Shitsurenmon…was like…heh, the Second-In Command of the Digital World, or something?" I let out a small laugh, but stopped immediately when I saw the expression on Bokomon and Neemon's faces—I was getting the same vibe even from the Celestial egg.

"Toshiku Yumari," I glanced over at Bokomon with a cautious glint in my eyes; Bokomon hardly ever spoke my full name like that, or in such an insulted tone. _Now look what you freakin' did, Toshiku. You pissed off the Digimon. And an egg. _"Do _not_ ask such questions so casually; her name is powerful, her presence alone could send the ground around us into combustion. She could easily crush you, and even the Legendary Warriors with one strike, a wave of her hand enough to cause you to fall to your knees before her."

I averted my gaze from them, remorse for my inconsiderate words filling my eyes as I stared at the floor, feeling absolutely worthless and stupid for making such a comment. Shitsurenmon had gone through so much; it was obvious that it had to have hurt her, being maimed by the one she was willing to die to save. If it had been me, I probably would've been screaming 'Someone shoot me!'. But this being was exactly what Bokomon had said: One of a kind. Never another like her. The best ruler for a place as unpredictable as the Digital World.

_Ha, don't make me laugh. You call that _subeta_ incredible? You're more delusional than I'd originally though, Yumari. Have you never seen the way Lord Lucemon pulverized Digimon that were simply a waste of space? Heh, you would've been kneeling at his feet with a silver band in a matter of moments. I know how your heart works, you cannot deny it! _

I snarled at the voice within me again, the chills crawling up my skin, but I refused to tremble; the knowledge that there was an unshakeable Digimon ruler out there somewhere in the atmosphere that was on my side renewing my fighting spirit. I was ready to stand up and give this thing a piece of my mind. _You know what, _kisama_, and _urusai_. I'd kick your oshiri for saying such a thing about her, if only I knew who and where the hell you are. If you were her—no, if you were even _me_, you'd be begging someone to blast your skull open. And if I ever find you, I wouldn't bring this conversation up, 'cause you'll be laying flat on your face in a matter of seconds._

The voice was silent for a moment; I grinned triumphantly, for once I'd been the one to get an effective few words in. But my confidence and sudden burst of newfound power ran away like chipmunks from a drunk with a broken bottle aimed at them when the voice suddenly deepened, and a growl that sounded all too familiar echoed in my ears as if the creature were crouched right beside me, prepared to leap and snap my neck. It was so real, I had to turn and look; but the sensible part of me had been correct, and there was nothing there but an empty train car. _…Or is it…?_

I was never happier to be dragged back to the irritating presence of the Warriors by Bokomon and Neemon. Seeing my sudden change of mood and trying their best to forget about my comment about Shitsurenmon, they each took one of my hands and helped me to my feet. I was healed, yes, but my tattered muscles still could've used a bit of time to fully relax from the soreness. But there was no way I was going to offend Bokomon and/or Neemon again. Or stay in this freaky spirits-just-seem-to-keep-popping-up-out-of-scenic-nowhere train car.

The second my face was visible, every single eye was glued to me, astonishment, fear, and awe in each iris—a small hint of anger was held within Zoe's teal gaze, but I paid no mind to her. My face reddened at the stares of the confused Warriors; all of them had seen my wounds, they were aware of the extent of all of them. They had to have been thinking exactly what I had: It was impossible for me to have healed.

That, and I felt kinda strange allowing our Digimon guides to hold my hands—technically, each one was just holding on to a thumb—and lead me into the room like I was some kind of retarded idiot with no sense of direction or common sense. It just wasn't the picture of a strong fighter that I wanted to show Zoe, any of them actually. I wanted to prove that _ijiwaru_ blonde wrong, and not make Koji out to be a liar. Even thinking about his complementing words about me after I'd stupid enough to be so seriously injured by Mukademon were enough to begin to make my face a bit warm.

I glanced down and nodded to the two of them, gesturing for them to release me, that I was capable of walking on my own. They gazed up at me wearily, clearly none too sure about it themselves, but hesitantly obliged and allowed me to move clumsily down the isle, flinching every time my left leg touched the floor. Zoe watched me disdainfully as I moved past her, mistakenly locking eyes with her and setting the prissy, lavender time bomb off.

Faster than snapping your fingers, she was yelling at me like we'd never even ended the last argument. "Toshiku Yumari!" She screamed my name with disdain and vulgar in her saliva and on her lips, as if those two words could bring destruction and devastation upon any who spoke them with a hint of misunderstanding at how powerful I could be. _Me? Tough? What the hell's this _subeta_ been smoking?_ "You think you can just maim somebody and get away with it? Now that you've added Koji to your list, who's next for the beati—"

"You know what, Zoe Orimoto?" I shot back with a sudden burst of strength and fake bravery I knew was just anger flowing through my veins like a volcano about to blow the last gasket containing the monster within, a tornado ready to hurl a boulder at a populated area, filled up to the brim with families playing games to calm their children, everyone unaware of the danger lurking nearby, looming only seconds from them. _Boom._ I was at her throat in seconds, catching not only her, but everyone in the car off their guard. The voice in my head was laughing with my darkening emotions and soul; it felt good to know someone out there understood. "You don't know me, and you never will truly understand the presence before you that is me! I would crush you without hesitation; it's so tempting. She's right; I shouldn't have to think about the consequences of your pain! It's not my problem!—"

The next thing I knew my head hurt like someone had just cracked a coconut using me, and I was being dragged away from a coughing Zoe by a very distressed ravenette with a grip like iron against my arm. "Okay, okay. That's enough. You need a time-out, Toshiku," Koji glanced back at Zoe, still gasping for breath even though I'd only choked her for a matter of seconds before something/someone whacked me and the Warrior of Light grabbed my arm. "You guys make sure Zoe's alright, we'll be right back."

_Aw, crap. I did it this time. Koji's gonna make me sit in a corner and think about what I did._ I looked down at my feet as I followed Koji into the next car with reluctance, enraged with myself that I couldn't even take a conversation Koji obviously intended to be serious so lightly. A simple 'I didn't mean to choke her' wasn't going to cut it, and wasn't what I would say anyways. I had meant what I did, she'd deserved it for everything she'd said, and she knew it. I could feel that she did, but she just didn't care.

Koji let go of my arm, opening the door to the next car and gesturing for me to go in ahead of him. I absent-mindedly rubbed my arm as I hesitantly moved into the room, trying to calm myself and rid my nerves of their jitters; the Warrior of Light could control his inner thoughts, the deep evil that survived within each person, but shown through only in a few. They were all tragic accidents of nature; I was one of them, but Koji wasn't. The brightness inside him that as so hard to see was too brilliant for normal eyes to notice with a single glance, but look past the storm in his Caribbean blue eyes, and you could see it there. He could make you tremble in more ways than one.

Standing in the middle of the walkway with Koji practically right behind me, positioned right in front of the door, sent chills of shadowy rage down my spine from my skull; part of me thought Koji had no right to try to get inside my head, to attempt to learn of the purpose behind all of my actions. But the other side knew that whatever he had planned was for the best of everyone, no matter what it was, I had to believe that Koji knew what he was doing. It was hard.

The silence made me noticeably begin to tremble; what was Koji even thinking about that he was so quiet? Whenever he was hushed like this, he was always chin-deep in thought. I wanted to sneak a peek inside his thoughts, only a small glance so he wouldn't notice what I was doing, but this time was different than any other…and I was afraid to know what he was pondering.

_If you are too pathetic to jump beyond your fears, I will send you something worthy of your fright! _I tried not to let out a scared whimper at the voice's words, closing my eyes and biting my lip from the sight of the early morning shadows strewn across the floor grew immensely. Wherever there was nothing but darkness, no warmth of the living was there, only the frozenness of the dead-life evil gave to its hosts. My eyes shot open; I could hear something crawling on the floor, creeping up from the shadows…I could feel its eyes focused on me, and me alone.

I felt something inside of me start jumping and thrashing around with what felt like excitement within my skin as a tall, long creature that seemed like it could barely even fit in train car seemed to just melt out of the shadows, two blank, sunrise-red eyes that sparkled with detest for every good-natured thing that breathed, the twin jewels windows into the spiteful mind within. From what I could tell, the thick black fur was matted with the dried blood of past victims, new, fresh liquid-life drenched its coat, falling to the floor beneath the creature with a _drip…drip…drip_ kind of noise.

The murderous being stepped forward, its long, untrimmed claws, stained with tears and dotted with bits of flesh that had now stuck fast to the smooth weapons curling into the metal in the floor and breaking right through it with a creak and a groan. I'd never seen anything like it before, not even a Digimon could look that terrible, seem so evil. Never had I felt a presence as frozen as this, the voice was one thing, but this…it was actually here…

The creature took another step towards me; I could feel its essence reaching towards me, preparing to trap me beneath its heavy paws and make me just another meal. The sense was so chilled, if my jaw wasn't clenched as tightly as it was, my teeth probably would've been chattering uncontrollably. It was the same as all the other evil Digimon, but this…it was still different somehow. Colder, and so close it had to have been inside of me. The thought made my heart stop.

A calm heat warmed my shoulder, nearly making me jump at the sudden change of temperature. Wanting to feel anything but the presence just feet away from me, I turned and wrapped my arms around the opposite charisma, burying my face in the warmth, but being sure to watch the hellish hound despite how much I just wanted to close my eyes and wish it away.

The beast faltered on its next step, a surprised air drifting from its existence, almost as if it had had no idea there was a third presence in the room. It seemed to be considering its options for a moment or two, but then almost as if it had made the wrong choice, it forced itself to leap towards me, paws reaching for me, ready for the kill. I could smell the rotting flesh between its teeth as it let out a blood-curdling bellow.

I could feel myself still trembling as I tightened my grip on the only thing that made me feel alive in the room, burying my face in the tender glow of heat as the roar suddenly stopped, and the cold air warmed to a more comfortable temperature again as the sun edged up over the horizon, followed by a series of brilliant golds, oranges, and lavenders. As the shadows slowly retreated, I heard a slightly surprised tone ask, "…So, did I miss something?"

Shifting so I could stay close to him, I glanced up at the faintly crimson face of Koji, evidently taken aback by my on-going quivers. Minamoto-boy was gazing down at me with concern in his eyes; he knew that if I'd felt something that was able to be fought, I would've said something to warn him, and actually spirit evolved. But I just couldn't bring myself to tell him, he already looked worried about me. He wanted to know what was wrong, how he could help me through the pain I'd never told him about. I couldn't let him.

Deep inside me, something said I knew Koji wouldn't be able to handle what I would have to tell him. The creatures I saw were no ordinary things, they were so focused on pain and harming others that you burned with their contagious rage, spreading it on and on until the whole world was consumed by it. My nightmares were getting worse and worse every night; no matter what AncientRaiafemon tried to send me as a positive note, she couldn't erase the images of my friends in pain, me unable to help them, my Spirits fighting against me, the whole Digital World in flames—

"I can feel you trembling," Koji's voice was quiet, and gently reminding me that he was here, and he would be unless a day came that I wanted nothing more than for him to get away from me. But as long as I had something to say about it, that day would never come. All I needed to be completely invincible was Koji by my side, standing next to me with those big blue eyes that even Godzilla couldn't stand up to. In my case, however, they were what made me get up again. So, if happiness kept Koji from worrying about me, then happy was what I would be for him. "Is something—"

Silencing a now brightly blushing Koji with a soft peck on the lips, I could've sworn I heard a hushed 'Awww!', 'Why can't that be me and Zoe?' and a growl come from the direction of the door leading back to the other DigiDestined. A puzzled look crossed my face as I glanced over Koji's shoulder; Koji must've noticed the odd sounds also, and joined me in investigating. I hoped I was just seeing things, but I knew that was far too good to be true. JP, Neemon, and Tommy were watching the two of us—still embracing one another—through the circular door-window. I assumed the Zoe thing came from JP, the chorus of 'aw's from Neemon, and the I'm-jealous-Toshiku-gets-to-kiss-Koji growl had come from the lovesick Tommy.

I couldn't blame the poor little guy for being infatuated with someone like Koji: Cold but sensitive, bold and brave, protective when it came to the people he loved, sarcastic but charming, and as an added bonus, he was just plain beautiful. Almost anyone (the 'almost' is straight men) had to admit that there wasn't that much not to like about KojKoj.

I decided that a cheery me would say the most obvious thing since French toast. "…I think we're being spied on…but it's just a theory." Koji shot me a glance that said, 'No, really?', but I just nodded and tried to seem impressed that he hadn't thought of it despite his sarcasm. I snickered as he rolled his eyes, a small grin playing at the corners of his soft lips. The same mouth that had wrapped me around Koji's finger for the rest of eternity when I made the 'mistake' of kissing him back at that creepy fortune tellers' place.

I didn't regret it for one second.

We pulled away from each other, ending the odd little show the two perverts had clearly wanted to observe. I opened the door and attempted to walk by them without even batting an eyelash, but that was hard to do when my hip was still trying to reset itself. Letting out an awkward 'ow', I reached out to open the door to the next car, but Neemon was completely against that option, and whacked my hand away from the door. "Not yet," He said with suspicious eyes that reminded me of musical notes that fell on their side and couldn't get up, and didn't have Life Alert to get some assistance. "We have a few questions for you…"

I couldn't help but gulp as I glanced over at Koji, whose face was now redder than the hottest lava. The Warrior of Light returned the gaze and I could read in his eyes that we both had the same basic idea of what we were going to be interrogated about: The fact that we'd been kissing in there…and pretty much every other occasion that we got alone-time together. It was easy to see Koji didn't want to have this conversation, at least not with _them_.

"First question," JP stated, raising a single finger to begin counting off the questions. I considered asking just how many questions they planned to ask, but I figured that would only make them keep asking until we got to the next station. "Since Koji didn't seemed bothered in the least bit when you kissed him, I would assume that you two have done this kind of thing before. So, how many times have you guys snuck off for some smooching?"

If I'd had a pole with me, I would've whacked JP with it so many times he would've needed a plastic surgeon to pop the dent back out of his side. I was pretty sure that Koji was on the same page, judging by the hot blush burning his cheeks as he scowled at JP for the wording of the inquiry. Though, I couldn't help but think JP actually had come close to hitting the nail on the head.

I considered counting the times out on my fingers, but I decided that Koji wouldn't appreciate that—even though I was pretty sure that it was six or so, with many more to be added over time—so, I just said the very first thing that came to my head, "…Ummm…would 'a lot' be considered an appropriate answer?"

Koji sent a small glare in my direction for cooperating with their version of an interrogation, but I shrugged; I couldn't help it. JP made a very convincing detective. And I'd been in one of these kinds of situations before, it was a lot less painful and scarring if you just played along. And besides, this was probably one of the most enjoyable things to be cross-examined about anyways.

"…I guess that's good enough," Tommy mumbled, still seeming quite annoyed at the fact that Koji'd been kissed by me and not him. But he was infatuated with the Warrior of Light after all, so, I suppose I should've expected that kind of a reaction from the Ice Warrior. "Next question…" His voice suddenly broke and turned into a little whimper as he looked at Koji with big, beady little eyes. "Koji, so…you're _not_ gay?"

I nearly snorted at the tiny voice he used to ask about Koji's preference, but I held it in and attempted to repress a grin. Koji just stared at the 8-year-old with a look of '_Dono yo na seiko_?' hot glued onto his face as he answered hastily, clearly wanting to get the hell out of the cluster of people who thought he was gay, "No!—Wait, it took seeing me with a girl for you guys to realize that?" He snarled at the three of them, who all looked away with oblivious expressions on their faces, trying to avoid answering that question. Mainly because the answer they probably had was most likely going to get them thrown head-first off of the train.

For once, Koji was the one who needed to be gently reminded not to hurt anybody, 'cause the glint in his eye was telling me he could use a bit of a hint to that. I reached down and wrapped my hand around one of his clenched fists and caressed his hand with my thumb. "KojKoj, there's no need to get all worked up, you know. You're a pretty but masculine guy, Koji. I'm willing to bet that JP was hoping you were gay because of what a threat you might be against his plans of getting Zoe." I smiled at him before pecking him on the cheek despite the audience, who were now staring in absolute bewilderment at Koji's blushing face.

"It's just like the movies!" Neemon exclaimed with such relish I could've sworn he was going to turn green. _Huh, a green Neemon…Speaking of that, what color would he turn if he was sick anyways?_ Attempting to forget about the color wheel, I focused on Neemon's words, feeling sick to my stomach as soon as they escaped his rabbit-mouth. "Except without the big break-up before the climax!"

_See, Toshiku? I am not the only one who sees through the façade of her lies, and yours. You cannot choose both of them to be your allies; you must pick one, is it not obvious? You must protect the one you want, defend his mind from the heartless Wind while you still have the option to. If you choose him, you must make her your enemy, Yumari. If you decide to try and resolve old problems, you will fall, and lose everything. What's it going to be?_

I shuddered uncontrollably at the voice, but just faked another smile at Koji before escaping their presence and heading into the train car with the rest of the group (actually, only Takuya, Zoe, and Bokomon (including Seraphimon's egg—sheesh, that takes forever to say). _No, I'll solve this on my own. Whoever you are, I don't need you. Got it? Now, get the _seiko_ out of my head!_ I mentally snarled at the black image of the voice, trying to keep my face blank as I saw Bokomon hopping back and worth in the middle of the isle.

Noticing me staring, Bokomon continued to bounce up and down as he explained, "He likes it when we bounce; I'm hoping he'll kick again if I keep it up." I smiled sadly at the white book Digimon's words, who was blissfully unaware of the hurt he was causing me. I could remember the day Weregarumon…well, fell out of the sky (I guess the stork got tired and decided to just drop him wherever the next clearing showed up). At first, both Koji and I hadn't really wanted to be forced into…uh, 'parenthood', but after a while, we both just seemed to get trapped in those sad green eyes.

I crouched down in front of Bokomon, and asked hesitantly, not quite sure whether or not this was actually a good idea or not, "Hey, Bokomon…do you mind if…if I held Seraphimon's egg—" I let out an irritated sigh through my nose as Zoe interrupted me for what felt like the millionth time today, but what had to actually only be like, the second or third time. _If she keeps this up…we aren't even going to be able to _get_ to the Rose Morning Star…At least not in one piece._

Zoe's voice was shrill and freaked out beyond belief as she exclaimed briskly, "Bokomon, that doesn't sound like a very good idea to me, I mean, Toshiku's not exactly the gentle type, if you haven't noticed. I really don't think you should trust her with Seraphimon's egg—which is, need I remind you, the Digital World's future—"

"_I_ think you underestimate her, Zoe," Everyone looked up at Takuya's sudden intermission; he was leaning up against the armrest of a bench, a smile on his lips and his bright, cheery eyes focusing on a very angry Zoe. I tried to hold back a joyful grin; Takuya always seemed to be on my side when it came to arguing with Zoe, and I couldn't be more glad. "You saw how good of a mommy she was to Weregarumon; she took on all kinds of Digimon to keep him safe. Besides, she seems a lot calmer than what you were making her a couple minutes ago. I don't feel like there's anything we need to worry about right now."

Daggers were prepared to shoot out of Zoe's eyes and strike him dead, but she didn't say anything more about not wanting Seraphimon's egg near me. Bokomon was reluctant, but trusting my…uh, 'maternal skills', he carefully wrapped his pink waistband around the egg to keep it warm, and cautiously handed the oval that held the Digital World on its…shell. It was hard to believe that Seraphimon, a great Celestial Digimon, could be reduced to such a vital stage. I couldn't stop myself from feeling guilty for that transformation. If I had been more vigilant about what I was saying and doing, Seraphimon wouldn't have needed to act like he had to help me.

I held the egg reassuringly as I moved over to sit next to Koji, who'd come back in only a few moments ago, soon enough to hear Takuya call me Weregarumon's mommy. A shadow of distress crossed his face at the mentioning of his…son. The ravenette's eyes clouded with past memories of the furry black pup, obviously taken back far into the past just by the name. I could understand the sting that came along with it, I felt it almost every day I opened my eyes and he wasn't there.

Shifting the pink-covered egg on my lap, I forced a comforting smile onto my lips and inconspicuously patted Koji's hand, embracing it tenderly. He glanced over at me, and his eyes sparkled with an appreciating grin as we laced our fingers. When I finally looked away from Koji, Zoe was giving me this wicked evil stare like she wanted to come over and murder me for probably having Takuya on my side against her. She did like him a bit after all—or so I'd gathered from how pissed she'd acted when he kissed me on the cheek back at the KaratsukiNumemon's Mountain.

I could sense that she was just itching to start fighting with me again, but must've figured it wouldn't be such a good idea when I had Seraphimon's egg. _Okay, that's it. I'm tired of saying that over and over again._ "Hey, guys," I sent out the inquiry like it was just your average ordinary question. Even though it wasn't ever day that you got to name the egg of a Celestial Digimon. I secretly hoped that my voice didn't sound like I felt: afraid. "We should name the egg. I know I'm getting kinda annoyed with just calling it 'Seraphimon's egg'," I turned to Bokomon; since he was kinda the little thing's parental figure, he may as well get to be the one to actually decide. "Bokomon, what do you think?"

The round, currently bare Digimon blinked in consideration of my suggestion, but slowly began to smile as he warmed up to it. He chuckled lightly before replying with a bright beam of cheeriness, "Oh, why not? I'm in a creative mood; does anyone have any ideas?" The waistband-less walking library glanced around him expectantly, hoping that he was the only one, for once, with nothing on his mind that would actually be considered a decent name for the Celestial shell.

"Hmm…" Takuya was the first one to start thinking (Let's hope his head doesn't pop.) of names, his fingers drumming repeatedly on his chin as he thought. He seemed like the type of guy to sit on the middle cushion of a couch and read one of those name books for hours on end. But then again, he also seemed like the kind to hate being near any book except the little kiddy ones, like the one with the caterpillar that pretty much pigged out for the whole freakin' thing. Suddenly he snapped his fingers and exclaimed with a smile that came from practically thin air, "How about 'Chandler'?" All he received as answers were confused side-glances. That clearly struck him as odd. "You know, like Chandler Bing from that one sitcom Friends? You can't tell me that doesn't ring a bell!"

While Takuya had a heart attack about the fact that hardly any of us had any clue whatsoever about what the hell he was going on about, Tommy must've found something, because he copied Takuya's hand-to-chin thing and quipped, "I know it's not as good as 'Chandler'—" _Suck up._ "—and it's kinda cliché, but what about 'Eggie'? It could be short for 'Eggbert' if you think about it…" I was pretty sure that almost everyone came close to laughing at his suggestion, but JP was the only one to let out a small snicker.

Everyone but me turned to glare at him, and a very insulted-seeming Tommy scowled, blushing with a slight embarrassment as he retorted, sounding just like the 8 year old that he was, "Oh yeah? Well, you haven't given your suggestion yet, JP! I'll bet you anything that mine was more creative!" I had to admit, my fellow Koji-Addict had spunk.

I averted my gaze from the irritated Koji-Lover to the Warrior of Thunder, who was currently looking very astounded to hear something that pissed come out of Tommy. But Thunder-Boy let it go like a chipmunk in a trap, and answered with a shrug of his shoulders, barely even taking time to consider his options, "Well, since it's technically Sera_phi_mon, why don't we call the little thing 'Phil'? I think it would make the most sense."

"Ooo!" Bokomon made a sound of approval for JP's idea of a good name for a powerful Digimon's weakest form. He glanced around at everyone else, as if asking for a second opinion as he stated, second-guessing his naming instincts like anyone could've expected, "Hm, it certainly _sounds_ like a strong-will-bearing name, but I'm still a bit partial to the thought of a more…hmm, rare name…"

"Well, then what do you think of 'Omelette', Bokomon?" I glanced up slowly, a slight expression of horror crossing my features at the thought of Zoe cracking the defenseless—aside from a manly mother—little thing open and spilling the yoke into a sizzling pan over a campfire. I shuddered at how Zoe could even think of such a thing. "I think it would match him pretty well."

I wasn't the only one thinking that, but I was the only one to comment about it. "How the hell can you say that _that's_ a good name for him? That's just asking for one of the dark Legendary Warriors to come up and fry him!" I glowered at her, just begging for her to make a peppy little remark that would make the rest of the Warriors feel sorry for her and immediately stand on her side of whatever argument this would turn into.

However, she surprisingly didn't try to turn my astounded inquiry into a big deal, and instead—as far as I knew at least—gave her honest reason for the name, "I'm hungry, okay, Toshiku? And knowing your Beast Spirit, _Jacob_, you can't say that you aren't." I scowled at her for the Twilight-related name, but didn't say any more to her on the subject. It wasn't like it was that big of an offense if she was hungry. Unless she actually tried to make that name a reality.

Aiming to bury that topic as fast as humanly possible, I side-glanced over at Koji, inquiring for his suggestion with a few blinks of my eyes. The bandana-headed boy sighed with a slight exasperation at the fact that I wasn't letting him out of this, and shrugged his shoulders indifferently as he proposed, "I don't know…Richard?" _That_ got a few laughs, mainly out of Takuya, who received a glare from the raven, but nothing more.

"NEEMON, JR.!" The yellow rabbit shouted louder than a Trailmon could whistle, nearly making me drop Seraphimon's egg he surprised me so much. _Bokomon would've killed me if I did that. I'd never forgive myself, either._ Every head in the area turned and stared with surprise at Neemon, who I'd figured had fallen asleep when we'd gotten back with the pack. I wasn't expecting him to look over in my and Koji's direction though. Or notice something the others apparently hadn't. "And are Koji and Toshiku holding hands?"

Koji all but had a heart attack at Neemon's accusation, and to prevent said thing from happening I unlaced our fingers and swiftly inched away from him, attempting to be as inconspicuous as possible. Our new position was hard to believe because of our reddening faces, but everyone seemed to buy it. They must've figured we were only blushing because of Neemon charging us with liking one another. Except for Zoe, that is.

Her evil stare burned my skin as she stomped over to the both of us. I snarled at her with a '_Dono yo na seiko_ are you doing' expression as she gestured for me to move over. I stared at her questioningly, but reluctantly did what she said; I didn't want to start a fight so early in the day. But I wished that I had as soon as she sat down between Koji and me, getting as close to the puzzled Light Warrior as she could.

I probably would've mauled her for being so physically close to him if the Trailmon we were on hadn't pulled to a quick stop and thrown me to the ground. My face smacked into the floor first, but I had the egg. That was _something_. But that joy didn't keep me from being pissed at Zoe for intentionally slamming into Koji; however, the aggravated expression on his face was a good sign. Despite the fact that his cheeks were cherry red.

The image was so hard to swallow; I kept thinking that my eyes had to be playing tricks on me, that this just couldn't be what I was really seeing. But no matter how many times I blinked, the picture wouldn't fade. A feeling close to terror shot through my blood, freezing every muscle in my body, getting colder and colder with each second that I couldn't look away. I was afraid that Koji might actually be caught between wanting Zoe and being with me. _No, I'm crazy. I'm nuts, my common sense's taking a breather. There's no way in hell that that's even close to what's actually going on…_

But then a fiery rage boiled the ice around my soul, setting my whole being aflame: This was Zoe's fault. She kept tempting Koji, and we both knew that a boy's self-restraint could only be stretched so far, no matter how strong they were. It wasn't Koji, and it wasn't me; all I needed to do to stop the doubt was take her out, and with my Beast Spirit back in my possession, there was no way that I could fail. There was no possible way she could defeat me.

I stood up steadily, each movement shifting with designated steps. I felt like a machine, ready to strike out and kill anything that got in the way of what I wanted. I trembled as darkness shot through me like bullets, shredding every fiber of my being until I was who I wanted to be, who I needed to be to go through with all of my heart's dark desires. Blue shot across my vision, and before I knew what was happening, I had to look almost straight down just to be able to see any of my companions. I'd digivolved without so much as a thought of my own; _how did I do…this?_

_It is not a matter of how, but the correct question would be 'Why?'. Why can you do this? Because it is your destiny to be this way: Filled with eternal rage, handing out agony and damnation for everything that stands in your path. You cannot let go of the darkness; it is who you are. All this adoration of Light has started to grow old in my eyes. You will feel it no longer; I will not allow you to feel such things for anything. No longer will you suffer because of sentiment; your mind will be plagued by your weakness no more. Trust in me, and me alone, and I will make you strong, just like you've always wanted. Now assail them, and earn back your honor._

One leg moved forward without any trouble, and before I knew it I was hovering over two horrified Legendary Warriors, Light and Wind, my friends, the two that I couldn't take my blood-hued eyes off of. My wings spread out intimidatingly, the feathers ruffling as I let out a low hiss, the sound full of resentment and abhorrence, something that I'd never heard myself do before. It was almost like it wasn't me at all, but someone entirely different. The devil himself standing here as my Spirit.

But there were more problems that just not recognizing my own voice anymore. I couldn't stop advancing on them, I didn't even have the power to look away; my eyes were fixed on Koji's face. Every now and then I'd cast a fleeting glance over at Zoe, but she would cower away, trying to hide behind Koji as he reached for his D-Tector. A bird-like screech erupted from my lips as I slashed at the both of them, catching the Warriors off-guard.

I stopped abruptly when a deafening creak, followed by a groan and a crack as the metal making up the roof of the Trailmon car behind me crashed down with a flash of brown, black, and purple. Turning with a snarl, my teeth flashing in the bright sunlight, I saw a Digimon that I knew from my dreams, the one that had harmed my Ancient Spirit after she'd had to suffer against Lucemon and the loss of her friend. Rowloamon was finally here to fight me.

"Rowloamon," A cold voice hissed, cutting through the thick silence like a thousand bolts of lightning; it was a tone I knew I should've been able to recognize, but I just didn't seem to be able to think about it as clearly as I could have. "You compassion-filled fool! Do you not realize how simple you make it for me to fulfill destiny this very day? By coming here, you've only sealed the fate of what is to come! I know, for Lord Cherubimon has envisioned it since your creation!—"

"If you can hear me, you must listen," The owl-similar, humanoid Digimon spoke as if there was a chance the sound could've been blocked out. My first thought was Cherubimon, but Rowloamon was on his side, he'd have no reason to block out whatever she'd have to tell me. She was probably going to say something about taking the ones I loved away from me again anyways. "I should've found the opportunity before today, but I have no choice now. Cherubimon has told me to inform you of your destiny. His reasons for doing so…you will learn in time. But for now," She lunged forward and grasped part of my wing, digging her talons in like a handle before dragging me, swiping at her and shrieking like a monster, back up through the entrance she'd made. "You must know what you're getting yourself into."

Rowloamon dragged me high up into the sky before releasing me, forcing me to fly to keep from falling. She batted her wings wildly, trying hard to keep herself just barely below me, ready to dive back down and snatch me back up into the air if I tried to make a dash for the Warriors, who I could barely even see from this altitude, though I could feel that they had just felt that this was normal and continued like nothing had even happened. It made my rage bubble up even more; I could feel my strength increasing with each breath, the oxygen fueling the flames within this machine.

"Do you not realize what is occurring inside your human body?" Rowloamon asked it as if this were a game show and she was the host, her voice was so quizzical and Hollywood-ish; her tone was one that you'd expect the police to be using on a victim though, and that I couldn't comprehend. Not that I intended to think about it either; honestly, all I wanted to do was fight, I wanted to kill her so badly. She'd been part of my Ancient Spirit's death, so it was rightly what she deserved.

I rushed at her and slashed at her with my talons, letting out another raven-screech before grabbing her and trying to tear through her wings. Her face stayed what seemed to be calm as she shoved me away; I let out a yell before shouting at her, "I don't care what's going on with that form! I don't care about any of the other humans! They've caused me too much pain already—"

Either I'd said something I shouldn't have or I was about to and she knew it, because the next thing I knew Rowloamon was above me, her face still serene though her hands were tightly grasping my shoulders as the two of us hurtled towards the ground. I let out a loud cry as I hit the ground hard, the armor on my shoulders and chest cracking under the pressure Rowloamon was putting on it.

I struggled to fight against her grip, but she simply shoved me back down; she was so strong, if I wanted to fight this Warrior of Cherubimon, I'd have to use my Beast Spirit. As if she were reading my thoughts, the black-eyed warrior above me chillingly spoke, her words falling from her mouth hastily, almost like she had an estimated amount of time to actually talk to me before something happened. "I did not come here to fight you, young warrior. I came to warn you, though in your present state, I doubt you will be calmed enough to listen as intently as is necessary."

She let her jaw drop open, her teeth glittering in the bright midday light as a scratchy voice called out, "Sulpher Plume!" I watched defenselessly as a cloud of bluish gray steam leaked from the corner of her mouth, curling around me like two serpents; soon my whole body was enveloped in the hot air. Before I could even think of trying to escape the cloud, the armor covering me began to sizzle and bubble, melting like the chocolate bar JP had accidentally left out in the sun on some tin foil ('Accidentally' meaning under my supervision).

After a few more seconds, my face started to burn, the only exposed skin of my being smoldering in the acidic cloud surrounding me, the metal of my helmet dripping down and blazing my forehead and cheeks. If you've ever burned yourself with melted candle wax, then you know a fraction of what this is like. Think of a forgery; picture being covered in that boiling, molten metal. That's what it was like.

I cried out in agony as the skin caught fire, smoking and flaming as I myself began to melt. I tried to reach up and get Rowloamon away from me, but her grip on my shoulders prevented hardly any movement; I was stuck, and unable to even de-digivolve. Something inside me was beginning to convince me that it would be weak and pathetic to give in to what Rowloamon was trying to do. I couldn't stop myself from listening, and obeying.

The brown-haired owl holding me down growled in aggravation through the smoke that was still seeping out of her. She seemed astounded and even a bit concerned that I hadn't returned to my frail humanoid form yet. She barred her teeth and dug her talons into my shoulders, the holes giving entry to the acidic air around me. "Release her, you witch! Or I swear by Lord Cherubimon I'll tear you to pieces! You and I both know that it isn't time yet for destiny to take its hold on anyone!..." She trailed off and became silent again, closing her mouth to harness in the air as I finally de-digivolved back to me.

I lay there, panting heavily as the smoke around me finally dissipated. Rowloamon's vice-grip on my shoulders hesitantly decreased until she was standing over me, allowing me to sit up, if I could. Which I couldn't. Rowloamon stared at me, as if asking if she'd maimed me more than she'd intended to, but I replied by flipping her off. She evidently didn't appreciate that, but didn't leave.

Instead, she started to explain what I assumed must've been the whole reason for her coming here to find me, or, at least something, "As you can clearly tell, Toshiku, your anger and doubt gets the best of you many times. You allow it to control you, you make it part of you, even use it to make yourself stronger. Tell me if I'm wrong, but isn't that what your little group of Legendary Warriors are for? Or have you realized that they seem to be abandoning you?

"I saw your rage grow; you felt it when they sensed nothing about your disappearance. They considered that it was normal for you to have yet another enemy, for you to fall into darkness and lose control of anything that you're doing. But this…this is no ordinary problem, you must know that. You've noticed that there is a difference in how you fought, in how you acted, and even sounded, though you don't understand how or why. _Gomen nasai_, but I am not allowed to speak any more of it; it is not a good idea to know too much of one's destiny.

"If you want to prevent them from falling away from you, you must stop and think through every single thing you do, everything you say. Anything can be used against you, and to Her aid. She will take any good in and around you and make it as black as Her heart, and anything evil, She will attempt to harness it and add to her own source of power. If you can ever understand, if it is your fate to destroy Her, your darkness will fade, but before it can, you shall also. Life is like a highway; which way are you going?

"You recall your dreams of yesterday, do you not? I'm speaking of one in specifics: The song. I can sense the knowledge of it within your mind; She did not act fast enough to be rid of it, though I don't know yet if it will even be of any assistance to you or not. Nevertheless, I sent you that dream as a warning, though you didn't think as much of it as I would've hoped. But the next time you are alone, ponder it. Consider it a gift of knowledge that I may demand to have returned whenever pleases me, for it is more than simple memorized words. It tells of your up-coming future, and your pain…" She took a deep breath, and let it out slow; either she was running out of stuff to say, or there was so much she wanted nothing more than to say, 'Okay, never mind. See ya, kid' and get the hell outta here.

Rowloamon gazed down at me with sad eyes, though colorless, emotions were bright like a lantern in them. She appeared to be almost ready to cry, as if something she couldn't say was eating away at her from the inside, but she was strong enough to keep herself from doing what she wanted. Probably because the one she followed had forbidden her to do so. Even though I could feel that we were supposed to be enemies, meant to fight one another until the death, I felt something that felt like pity for the creature before me. "Rowloamon…please, tell me what's killing you…We could try to help each other; you don't have to follow Cherubimon—"

"Silence! You lie! There is no hope, but in Lord Cherubimon and his plans of dark destruction!" She screamed at me, staggering back as if she'd been struck by a force of translucent energy. The bird-eyed being reluctantly looked back at me, a question of what she should do crossing her features, like she was trying to decide if she should say anything more. She chose quickly. "I can't tell you much more, but listen carefully and you may be able to change your future. This is your destiny: Something I cannot forget, I will lose. Something I cannot see now, I will fight. Something I cannot stand, I will suffer for. Now, Toshiku, you don't have much time left to change. Make something good of yourself before they turn you into a warrior of malice.

"But first…" Before Rowloamon turned away from me to leave, she spun back around, and with a slight look of apology, extended her wings, both of them turning a deeper shade of brown as the feathers ruffled and quivered. "Shadow Razors!" Her wings began to glow and emit a purple-ish steam like the sulpher attack; she flapped them rapidly, the new color mixed with metallic-like feathers moved towards me swiftly, catching my clothes and skin, the power of the attack strong enough to send me flying at the speed of light.

My body already felt numb by the time I finally touched the ground again; I'd landed far away from where Rowloamon had warned me about my future, on a shelf of rock near the bottom of a deep trench, a river only a couple of meters down from where I was. I knew I had to get up and go looking for the others, see if they were ready to head back out, because this place obviously wasn't the Rose Morning Star. But no matter what I tried, I couldn't even move. Pain racked my body every time I came close; soon I couldn't even keep my eyes open.

_

* * *

_

"Power is everything, and the only thing. Good evening, my newest warrior. I see that you have taken quite well to your new dark heart. Not all beings would be able to blend with the darkness like you are able to, and that is something you can take to the bank."

_"Master…Why have you created me? What is my purpose in this world, my reason for this life? You have pondered over a…human…but I barely can acknowledge what such a creature is. Why is my fate tied to one?"_

_"It is because of destiny, my dear. Fate. Hers is to die by the hand of a friend she will have for years, but will turn on her when the time is right. She will be taken down by her feeble emotions, and strangled by her only chance at a new life. Yours, Angel of Darkness, is to be that friend, become that chance at life. If she relies on you, then it will take but one powerful strike to take her out. And she will join us."_

_"…But why ask a human to join in an army of Digimon? How can you trust that this being you speak of will be of any use to our cause at all? Master, it just doesn't make sense to me—"_

_"Your mind isn't open enough to be able to understand what she is capable of, what she can bring back that will give us the victory over the warriors this world will call to help them. With who she can call back to life…she will be nearly invincible, given the right reason and allies. And we must be sure that that is us, because if she chooses the light over this tainted beauty…it will be near impossible for me to cover this world in darkness."_

_"…I see…So what must I do?"_

_"It is actually quite simple, you will see. Change her heart to change this world—" _

* * *

I awoke with a start, but not because of the dream; something was shaking me, even though it was very strong, it was jerky and enough to slightly piss me off. I reached out to try and whack it away, but all I got was a smack on the hand by someone who was just asking to get the _kuso_ kicked out of them as soon as I could move my leg.

Opening my eyes, I saw the one person I didn't want to be around right now: Zoe Orimoto. She seemed pissed to see that I was awake. "I thought you were dead. It would've be a nice change of pace after what you tried to do to me and Koji on the Trailmon earlier today!" Zoe exclaimed with such vigor I found it hard to believe that she was just messing with my head. She wasn't joking around; I could sense it from deep within. She truly thought that they would all be better off without me. I couldn't say I could think of any other way for them to be safer. "He's the one I worry about the most; he's alone with you so much. But Takuya's at just as much of a risk because of how he feels about you. I don't get it! What do you have that I don't?" Zoe looked so enraged, but I couldn't feel anything but ice around my heart. I didn't want to help her like I did Rowloamon. But I didn't get it either; why did she envy what I had? I barely had anything, or even anyone. Why did she even care?

I shoved her away from me, angered almost immediately by her presence, let alone her words. "It's because I have a heart, you _subeta_. I actually think about what happens to someone other than me, but I guess you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" I felt no remorse for my words at all, I didn't need to. She didn't deserve my pity, and I wasn't here to do everything I could to fix everything that was broken. I had a mind of my own, and I intended to use it to break her down before she could do so to me.

The blonde scoffed, her tone fueling the fire within me and sending my rage tumbling over the edge of no return. I stood up steadily as she spoke, feeling my anger empowering each of my cells until they couldn't bear any more, "Yeah, _I'm_ the one with no heart!" I couldn't stop myself from spirit evolving again, this time lashing out at her as soon as my talons had appeared on my fingers. I stomped the ground when she moved just out of reach; throwing my head back, I let out an eardrum-shattering wail, something close to the sound of a battle cry, but so much deeper and shrouded with a volley of shadows. I didn't know how I could make sounds like that.

"Oh, so you wanna fight?" Zoe shouted at me, snatching her D-Tector from out of her vest pocket. Data encircled her hand before cocooning her completely, fading to leaving a lavender-bikini-'armored' fairy-Digimon in her place. She batted her little pixie wings as she moved what seemed quite slowly towards me; it was like she was barely moving at all. I felt nothing but a sudden burst of energy from my rage as she sent a kick into my side. "I'll give you a fight you'll never forget! Tempest Twist!" She flipped onto her hands and sent rapid kick after kick into my torso, doing nothing but give me that much more strength as my rage grew; I felt no pain, she was doing nothing but condemning herself.

_Now, strike. _I listened to the frozen voice, not pondering the fact that it sounded much more real now than at any other time. I reached out a hand and caught her by the shin, her boots making it simple to dig my talons in for a tight hold. Kazemon gasped as she watched me slam a punch into her leg, letting out a cry as the bone shattered and I let her fall. "Allow me to call your bluff." My new, strangely familiar voice scoffed, reaching down and slashing my talons across her face, causing her to cry out and try to drag herself backwards.

Growing desperate to get me away from her, Kazemon held out her hands, little tornadoes escaping from her fingertips as she shouted, "Hurricane Wave!". I stood completely still, my hands held out before me, the tips of my claws pointed towards the fairy laying on the ground only a few feet away from me. The pathetic Digimon caught her breath again as the wind parted around me, the most damage being that it was blowing my shadow-black hair back. "How…H-how did you—"

"I was not put in this mind to answer questions, _subeta_. I am here to destroy my host, and anyone who gets in my way. You, Warrior of Wind, are killing her all by yourself; you are working to rob her of what she lives for. I do not intend to—" I didn't have time to finish before something hard and electrically charged rammed into me, sending me back a few feet and onto the ground.

I jumped up just in time to be hit again, this time catching a glimpse of my new opponent, and hearing him shout out his attack, "Bolo Thunder!". A tank-like, navy blue Digimon that slightly resembled some kind of bug raised its arms, and shot out two round balls of electric energy in my direction, the two spheres connected by a single pulsing strange of electricity. I heard the newcomer speak to the fallen pixie as the second attack hit me, strong enough to make me muffle a yell. "Kazemon, are you okay? C'mon, slide evolve to Zephrymon and give me a hand."

"Right!" She agreed as she surrounded herself with data, coming back into the light of day as a taller, blue-wing-headed Digimon that made me sick to my stomach just remembering what had happened last time I had fought her. However, an unexpected sureness told me that this time would be different, and to evolve to Wereraiomon. But…I had a feeling that if I did that, I might not be able to stop. Even though I was barely even controlling what I was doing now; I hadn't wanted to nearly break Kazemon's leg, just knock her over. What was going on?

_Do not doubt! Now stand, and fight! You have the ability to destroy them; you can obliterate anything and anyone who stands in your way! Stop trying to resist the dark desires within you, and let them fall victim to the power you possess! Open your eyes to your fate and slay them! You cannot escape your destiny!_

I couldn't stop myself; I was too angry, too enraged and troubled to want to try to fight against her anymore. I jumped onto my feet with another wail of battle cry, and rushed at the two of them. With a single flap of my wings, shooting up dust all around us, two spheres of black and royal purple energy similar to the kind that had emitted from Rowloamon's wings formed from my palms, becoming the size of your average head before shooting out from me straight into Zephrymon and MetalKabuterimon.

"Stellar Shadow!" Leaping away from them before they had time to react, I sent another few of the same little spheres at them, followed by another that was moreover the size of BurningGreymon's head. The two of them dodged the attack hastily, to my dismay, and came forward, the idea of attacking together clear and easy to read in their minds. I grinned evilly as my frozen voice echoed out as if we were in a cave, "You think you can defeat me? I am more powerful that you could ever dream to be, Legendary Warriors! Just try, I dare you!"

Hesitating only slightly at my statements, the Beast Spirit of Wind swung her arms around in a slight circular motion, little pink blades rushing through the air currents her movement created. "Hurricane Gale!"_ …Why can't I move? My legs won't listen to me; my wings won't even move to act as shields…What the hell's going on? _

The maniacal grin stayed pasted to my lips as I stood completely still, my body seeming unafraid while I was having a panic attack about not even being able to control my limbs like I normally could. Something wasn't right; even when I fell into Cherubimon's lies I could still control what I did and didn't do. This was nothing like that. I couldn't do anything; someone entirely different was doing everything in my place. "Electron Cannon!"

I awaited the two attacks with open arms, and thought in my head of being able to almost catch them with an air current from my own wings and send them back, but I had no clue of how that would be possible. I'd never done that before, or even gotten such a preposterous idea before. Of course, it seemed like it might work, but I'd never made a plan about sending an attack back yet. Despite my doubt of it working, I didn't have to option to do otherwise, and had started to put the motion into action when I heard someone call out to me. But their words sounded so jumbled up, I couldn't understand them, so I ignored the sound altogether.

However, before I could even get the technique completely going, BurningGreymon leapt between me and the on-coming attacks, letting them hit him before they even got close to me. "…_Nani yo_?" The frozen voice that had taken over my usual one wondered aloud as the red-armored dragon-Digimon standing only a few feet in front of me fell to his knees from the attack, both of the Digimon that had sent the attacks yelling at him about what he'd done that.

BurningGreymon turned to face me slowly, his bright, shining blue eyes filled with sorrow for a reason I couldn't understand. His sadness struck me deeply, boring into me like any attack could've done, but this was so much more agonizing. I should've known why it hurt, but I couldn't get past a blockade in my mind that wasn't allowing me to do so. _Whatever you are, whoever it is trying to hurt my friends, get the _seiko_ out of my head before I figure out where you are! If you're not careful, I'll find you, and my friends and I will kick your _oshiri_ for what you're trying to do to me, and everyone else for that matter!_

The mental outburst got the entity to let me de-digivolve, but left with an evil, amused laugh nonetheless. I knew I hadn't won that fight; whoever that _subeta_ was that seemed to enjoy my misery and hurt had won because I'd been so afraid, I hadn't known what to do. But that may've been one of the reasons that she chose to haunt me in the first place. I wished that my friends' presence could stop the tainted thoughts like Koji's had with Cherubimon the day we'd first gotten Weregarumon.

Everyone de-digivolved when they saw that I wasn't just pulling a trick on them to catch them off their guard. Only Tommy, Takuya, and the Digimon looked reasonably glad to see that I was back to normal; Zoe, JP, and Koji on the other hand—_Wait…Koji? He…he's pissed at me too?_ I glanced back at Koji, ignoring JP and Zoe's glowers, paying no mind to anything but Koji.

I could feel it in the air; something was wrong between us, more than just the fact that I kept trying to fight the Legendary Warriors. There was something between Koji and me, separating us like a wedge to a wooden board. I didn't understand it, but I had a pretty good idea. It was just hard to keep trying to find the problem when what Koji wanted to do was fight. And that was a call I just couldn't stop from accepting.

"What's wrong with you?" Koji shouted at me, earning surprised looks from absolutely everyone, including a few bystanders that had come to observe how this human battle turned out. Koji's tone made me flinch; he had no concern for my well-being in it whatsoever, but there was some for the others. The only thing that really bothered me about that was the fact that Zoe was staring at Koji, a happy glint in her eyes at his words. "Are you even on our side at all?" _That does it._

"Oh, and how am I supposed to know if you're on my side, Koji?" I yelled back at him, both of us storming towards the other with fire on our tongues and loathing in our eyes. I'd never felt like this towards Koji before; it almost made me want to just drop the argument, wrap my arms around him, and not let him go until he understood that all I wanted to do was help them, but something was trying to get to me. Almost. "I've told you that I don't want to hurt you; my word should be enough, Minamoto! Or have you been listening to someone else's promises lately?"

I locked eyes with Koji; I could see that he knew exactly what I meant. His eyes clouded over with emotions I hadn't even expected to see in him at that question: A sad confusion shadowed his anger, cooling it until it was practically gone; he gazed back into my eyes, his glum expression freezing my anger over rapidly, nearly making me regret asking. "You…You don't trust me?"

Despite how I felt for Koji, I couldn't help but snap back at him, "If you can't trust me to do my job as the Guardian of the Legendary Warriors, how do you think I can trust you?" I almost immediately regretted saying that, seeing that my harsh words had easily relit Koji's anger. Shimatta_, why can't I just shut up?_

Koji growled before shoving me and yelling, his voice cracking slightly, barely enough to notice, "I don't need you—We don't need you here, Toshiku! We'd all be better off without you! So, why don't you just get out of here?" I nearly stumbled to the ground, but after I regained my balance, I actually took in what Koji's just said. Everything he said hit me like heat-seeking missiles, all of them colliding with my heart. He couldn't have meant that, he just couldn't have. He'd been with me since the first time I'd fought Taurumon; too much had gone on between us for him to really mean that with all his heart. _He's just mad. _I attempted to convince myself. _He'll calm down if I give him a bit of time._ But I had more than just a very pissed off Koji on my hands.

Zoe stood only feet away from the two of us, a wicked smile on her face, her eyes glittering with the new opportunity. I didn't get that chick; what was her deal with Koji and me? Why did she always swarm him like a mosquito whenever we hit a rough patch? It was like she was just waiting to…to step into my shoes.

My eyes widened with a sudden realization that I felt plain stupid for not having realized before, and of course I just had to figure it out right after ticking Koji off: Zoe was trying to separate the two of us so she could try her luck at the pretty boy. I let out a low growl as I stared at her, wanting oh-so-very-bad to go up and knock some sense into her skull, but knowing that that wouldn't be a good idea when Koji was in this kind of a mood. I'd have to do it when he wasn't watching me like he was ready to go up and smack me. And when I wasn't in the mood to punch him in the nose.

Turning my back on the group, I followed the train tracks up to Worm, who was waiting impatiently for us to finish up our fight and get on so he could keep taking us to the Rose Morning Star, even though he wasn't even the Trailmon that had brought us to this _Kamisama_-forsaken town in the first place. I slammed the train car door behind me, and leaned up against it with a sudden wave of depression falling over me like a waterfall.

Koji's reaction to my asking if he'd been with somebody else since we'd gotten together sent tears to my eyes as I slide to the floor. He'd been so sad, I'd hurt him so much over the month or so that we'd been here in the Digital World. I couldn't hold down the pathetic sobs in my throat, choking any hope of me being able to breathe, and let them out as the salty tears tumbled from my eyes. I felt so weak; this world was no place for people who couldn't handle anything that came their way. But I couldn't bear being the reason Koji was sad.

"Ko-Koji…" I choked out his name with a sob; knowing that he couldn't hear me made me feel that much worse. I just wanted to tell him what I really felt so he'd know; he deserved to know exactly what I wanted to say but just couldn't. I could only say it when he wasn't there to hear me. "I-I'm sorry I can't make myself be what you need…I'm sorry…"

* * *

**Okay, that didn't end how I planned, but it had the same feel to it I guess. It was a bit more depressing that I was aiming for though. But I hoped you guys liked it anyways. Please review! :)**

**Oh, and by the way. I've been noticing that a few reviewers have been saying they're getting confused and a bit perplexed by some of what I'm writing. I'd just like to let them know (they know who they are) that if they have questions they can PM me about them, because more likely than not, I'll explain almost everything that was left hanging in the next chapter, or one of the ones to come.**


	21. Chapter 19: Fake It

Woo! 19 is up and ready to read, baby! I can hardly believe that I've gotten this far, and I probably wouldn't have if it wasn't for everybody that's been reading and reviewing. So thanks guys. I owe you for every word that I type.

Anyways, with all that said, I cannot wait to start 20 'cause the plot really picks up (cliffie at the end of that one, so prepare yourselves. Heheh...) and it's gonna be so awesome 'cause Duskmon is in it. But I told myself I wouldn't start it until I got Chp. 3 of my 02 book done, and yeah. That might take a while at this pace, with school and everything.

But enough of my jabbering, please enjoy the following program, no commercials! (I know, that sucked. But I hope you like the chapter anyways. Please review! I love hearing from you guys. And if you have questions, just put 'em in your review or something and I'll answer whenever and however. Enjoy!~)

* * *

Chapter 19: Fake It

Sighing, I dropped to the floor again, my hair flopping into my face as if it was trying to make me look emo. All the people at the last school I'd gone to had thought that of me because of how I'd dressed (Mostly black with a bit of everything mixed in here and there during a blue moon.) and the way my hair was always everywhere and in my face (I had World Wars with brushes every morning. It wasn't my fault that my hair almost always won.), but it hadn't bothered me at all. Until this chick Emi Kato noticed the cuts Hiroshi had given my arms.

That bite of gossip raced around the school faster than the star of the track team. In the time it takes you to brush your teeth, everyone was staring at me like I was some kind of bloodthirsty maniac, avoiding me as if I were a disease that could kill you with a swift touch to your skin. Anger surged through me like millions of waterfalls whenever someone pointed inconspicuously over at me and made a cutting gesture across their arms. The one thing that I wanted to do was go up to them and just shove them backpack and all into their locker and leave them in there to rot. It was sorely tempting, but something kept on prodding me in the back of the head and assuring me that it wouldn't be as fulfilling as it sounded. So I only did that once—to Emi—and got suspended until I could say my A, B, C's backwards on the moon.

_Chikushou_, it felt good to get some payback.

But that honey-sweet sensation didn't last as long as I wished it would've, and I was right back at trying to hold my raging self back after what seemed like an eternity. It got harder and harder every day to keep up with my end of the struggle; I had no one to go to for help. All of it was after the accident, and the rumors of my being a cutter had scared away most of the people I'd actually hung around with during the few hours of the school day. I'd never been able to get real friends that stuck by me through everything, but then again, I hardly ever gave people the chance to show me that they would.

However, that wasn't the only thing that Emi did to make my pathetic little life even more miserable. Any guy that wasn't afraid of a girl that had scars on her wrists wasn't strong enough to withstand Emi's 'charm'. She was the kind of girl every guy had wet dreams about when they finally realized what was different between men and ladies. Her hair was pine-tree-brown, so bold and brilliant that you had the sense that you could just lean close and literally smell the sweetness of a forest in the chill of winter. The _subeta_ had eyes like a queen's golden crown: Shiny, bright, and so beautiful they were hypnotizing. Her teeth were so white you'd think she spent all the time she wasn't frenching somebody's boyfriend or putting up posters of Justin Bieber and Robert Pattinson she was brushing her teeth with bleach.

She stole every guy that ever came close to liking me right out from under my fingertips. For a while I assumed that that was just the way that boys were, always looking for the girl with the best tan, most revealing clothes, and hair that knew it was supposed to do what you wanted. But I started to think differently as I got older, and started not even caring about what guys wanted from the girls they chased by the time I was 11. That day was probably the best day I'd had that whole year, when I just stopped caring. But I could remember the worst day of them all clearly; it haunted me like the ghoul in the train I'd seen yesterday. It had alienated me from everyone for good.

_I groaned, irritated that I hadn't gone through with my first idea: Ditch school today too and just hide out until I had to catch the bus back with the rest of the kids that lived at the orphanage. Mr. Yakatsuki would have another stroke if I missed it and got back at 6 like what happened last time. He was drilling me about how if my parents were still there they would be acting just like he was, and that the next time that this happened I would have a 'buddy' riding with me and hanging around with me during the day. But I knew what he meant: I had to be supervised so I didn't do anything he thought was stupid. _

_Despite the nagging little voice in my head telling me it wasn't too late, I knew it would look suspicious if I turned and shot out of there like a bullet. Letting out an exasperated sigh, I trudged up the rest of the steps and walked silently into the building that was anything but quiet. I doubted any _yaro_ here even knew how to spell that word in this _kusoimaimashii_ place. _

_Glancing around from side to side, I could see others quickly averting their eyes from me, like usual. I sent a snarl at one girl who hadn't turned away from me: Emi. She lived to make my life as suckish as she could. The _subeta_ tried to out-do me in everything, be it grades, sports, anything. She always got straight A's (Except for one year when she forgot to study and cheated off of my answers. I noticed and made sure to make all of them wrong. I may've failed, but I brought her down with me and it was funny as hell.), was almost always just the slightest bit faster or stronger than I was, etc._

_First class today according to the buzz around the hallways was Physical Education, the only time of the day I could unleash all my pissed-off-ness and not even get sent to the office for it. The best thing about it was that there was a good chance of today being a dodge ball day. Emi was in that class with me. And I had a pretty _chikushou_ good throwing arm. _

_But as soon as I'd joined the rest of the class, it was clear to me that dodge ball wasn't what Ms. Kobayashi had in mind for the hour or so that we'd have to obey her rules. There were racks of _bokuto_s and _shinai_s, _keikoji_s and _hakama_s scattered all around us, and it was pretty frickin' hard not to be able to tell exactly what we were going to be doing. Kendo. _

_"Okay, students," Ms. Kobayashi clapped her hands a few times, signaling for us to gather in a semi-circle around her so she could give us the gist of the class. Her golden blonde hair rested lazily on her shoulders as she swung a hand over, nearly whacking a pissed Hiroshi in the face as she gestured the Kendo equipment. "As some of you can see, we will be using this equipment to make you all a bit less shrimpy and maybe get you a new hobby. Now, get into any armor that'll fit you and find a Kendo partner. And remember children, if you break any bones, it's going in your permanent record!" She gave me an unsure glance, like she wasn't entirely certain that it was a good idea to give me a big wooden stick that was meant for fighting, but she shrugged and went off to help a kid get his head back out of the helmet despite her senses. _

_Mentally rolling my eyes at her doubts of me, I meandered over to the racks and dressed myself in the armor, the materials hugging my body as if I were meant to fight for the good of everything one day. I felt a sense of belonging in the armor, a tender sensation that hardened my core and set my muscles on fire. Inside me voices said that with these tools, some day I'd make something of both myself and fix something else. But I just shook the feeling out of my head, keeping it in my fibers for extra adrenaline boosts. _

_Reaching out for a _shinai_, a thunderous sound rumbled from within my throat when a voice I utterly despised called out from behind me, approaching rapidly from the sound of the shuffling, "Hey, Tosh-Emo," I reluctantly turned to see Emi coming up to me with a wicked grin on her face; she'd been calling me that stupid name since the first day she laid eyes on me and learned my name. I couldn't help but wonder what the _seiko _she wanted from me._

_"What the hell do you _kusoimaimashii_ want, _subeta_?" I snapped with a deadly grimace, my teeth flashing her the finger without even needing to raise my hand. She set off emotions in me that I barely recognized, such anger that it couldn't all be mine, it couldn't all be human. Humans couldn't feel like this. But what did that have to do with anything? "Don't you have one of your little _jakkasu_ posse-buddies to be battling?" The smile on her porcelain face didn't fade, she didn't even twitch at my rage. It only made my blood boil all the more._

_Emi put on such an innocent face I nearly believed her (With that lying _subeta_, that was saying something.) as she said with a little pout, "Actually, I was hoping that you and I could have a little match of our own. I wanna see firsthand what you're made of. And what better way than by fighting you, eh?" Most days, I would've chucked something at her and told her to get the hell away from me before I was poisoned by her presence, but today, the opportunity to whack her multiple times with a big piece of wood crafted for such use was just too good to refuse. _

_With a slight nod of my head, I hesitantly followed her over to the fighting area where groups of other classmates were already falling and tripping all over themselves in attempts to get a strike against their foe. Emi and I stood opposite each other, hatred laced in my gaze at her wicked smirk. I could've sworn I could hear her saying something about that this was going to be fun since I had no clue of what she could do. But I got senses like that all the time; it wasn't anything new, and I shook it off all the same._

_As soon as Ms. Kobayashi let out the shrill whistle for us to begin, both of us sprung forward, _shinai_s at the ready. I let out a yell as I slashed at her, hitting the armor hard and with a deafening blast. But Emi didn't seem surprised at my powerful attack by any means; all she did was glower at me before replying with a slash of her own, the wooden weapon whistling through the air like a missile. Though she could've been going in slow-motion for all I cared; one swift movement and she was blocked, but it was still just barely enough to send me stumbling back a foot or two. _

_The recoil wasn't sufficient to keep me away for long, and I was right back in her face within a matter of seconds, my _shinai_ clashing against hers and her armor. She tried to block each of my strikes like I had, but I kept coming like a warrior, crazed and lost in the dark. I wanted her to feel the pain I'd held inside for so many years; I felt my pent up rage and I just couldn't control it. My skin tingled and burned with a sudden adrenaline, all of my movements growing stronger and stronger, each one now a blur. _

_These sensations felt like I wasn't even doing them myself, like they were robotic and automatic. I'd felt like this a few times before, and it was almost normal to feel like this now, but this time it seemed somehow different, like the feeling was a bit more powerful now. It didn't feel right, or all that normal, but it was something. And I'd rather feel like a freak, or a mutant, than not be able to feel anything at all. _

_Emi's porcelain face was now contorted in fright and concentration, fearing what I could do if she missed one blockade. She attempted to push back against my offense, but she didn't get anywhere, and now we were starting to draw attention from the other students and Ms. Kobayashi. Everyone was staring now, their eyes and ears trained on the scene before them: One girl losing her mind in the middle of a battle, and the other doing her best not to be stuck like a boar. And her best wasn't so great._

_I let out another yell as I slammed a foot into her torso, knocking her off her feet and onto her back. Emi cried out pathetically as she fell, her shinai having been dropped from her grasp and skittered across the floor, leaving her defenseless aside from her armor. After getting over her shock of me being capable of beating her, she glared up at me with anger and loathing in her stormy gray eyes, "What the hell are you, you freak?"_

_Staring down at her like a raven watching a rodent run below within the trap of its shadow, I felt frozen in time, unable to feel my own heartbeat, but hearing one all the same. Every time I breathed out, something else was breathing in, and vice versa. It felt like someone who knew everything about me existed beside me, was there forever as my shadow, would never leave me to face my troubles alone. _

"But I guess…" I mumbled to myself, unwrapping my arms from my legs and standing again, my hair sticking to my face due to tears that I hadn't bothered to brush away from my face. I walked along the rut of dust I'd made in the floor from pacing so much after that fight with Koji, and headed outside onto the small platform on the back of the train. I sighed into the chilled, sandy wind, "I guess alone is what I was all along…"

I rested my crossed arms against the railing, leaning over to bury my mouth and chin in the soft, slightly torn and dusty fabric. From the outside, anyone could've guessed I felt empty and confused, and been half wrong. But inside, though I was confused, I was everything but empty. Wereraiomon's spirit was there within me, trying to find how the voice kept getting to me, Raveamon was there, sleeping somewhere cold since I could barely feel her presence anymore, and I could sense AncientRaiafemon watching over me. But why couldn't any of them discover what kept screwing with my directions and sending me off on all the wrong paths, only to be caught by the dusk?

Gazing out over the tracks with so many things on my mind, it made me wonder about Ophanimon. Why would she have called me to the Digital World to help save it if all I was really doing was hindering the people who actually had the ability to aid it in recovering? She was a Celestial Digimon; she had to know what she was doing, and exactly what it would be causing. And that meant that she knew what I was meant to do, and how I was messing up and trapped between the only sides you could be on. She had to know something about this world—and even me—that I couldn't see. She just had to.

Seraphimon had tried to tell me what I needed and wanted to know, he'd done what he could to help me before my big mouth had hurled his demise into sight. It was my fault he was gone, that he couldn't aid us in reviving the Digital World and defeating Cherubimon, it always would be. Nothing could change what I'd done, but I could still attempt to make what I was destined to do something good. I didn't have him to tell me all I wanted to know, but I'd always have what he already told me.

_As you can clearly see, you have the verres of Wind, Earth, Light, Fire, and Thunder. _I'd added to my collection of power-filled crystals since we'd spoken of them; now I'd obtained Steel, Water, and Ice. That only left two more: Darkness and Wood. Arbormon would show up again eventually; he wouldn't let us escape as easily as we had back at the Autumn Leaf Fair. Next time he'd be ready for all of our Beast Spirits. I just needed to find a way to get it from him without him realizing what I was doing. But…that still left—

I gasped as I stood straight, my mouth dropping open in fear as I realized something I hadn't thought of: There was one Warrior we hadn't met yet. And he was my most favorite of all Elements: The Legendary Warrior of Darkness. _Wait,_ I relaxed slightly at my thoughts, glad that my own voice still existed in my mind, _there might just be another human out there somewhere that can evolve into that Warrior. Maybe it's as simple as having not met him yet. _Smiling slightly, I looked back up into the sand-sprinkled sky, feeling a small sense of hope rushing over me. When you were usually surrounded on all sides by creatures that wanted you dead, and thoughts in your head battered you senseless at all other times, even the thought of having someone else that saw things from your side of the story was enough to make you even the littlest bit joyous.

But my happiness wasn't allowed to live for very long; not today. Darkened clouds swarmed the sky like billions of little gnats as thunder rumbled through the air, pounding my ears like drums. Royal purples and navy-tinted blacks swirled in whirlpool-like shapes as heavy winds whistled past my ears, roaring like the monster I'd seen on the train early yesterday morning. Then, slowly sinking from the clinging clouds, she came down, levitating like an angel with black demon eyes. Rowloamon.

I felt a sudden hunger, an undying urge to spirit evolve and use my Human Spirit to destroy Rowloamon for what she'd done to my Ancient Spirit, take her data and her strength as her repentance. But even as I fisted my hand and the blue halo of data enveloped it, I couldn't encourage its twin to do the same. My right hand hung normally at my side, lightly gripping the railing to keep from being blown from the Trailmon. Part of me needed to fight, needed to make Rowloamon suffer, wanted her powers more than anything else in the whole Digital World, but I felt that even deeper, past those feelings, I wanted nothing to do with fighting her. She wasn't a threatening enemy; Cherubimon's minion, yes. But not necessarily an offensive pawn.

A wave of hope passed over me, and I glanced up at the brown bird woman floating high up in the air above me as a flicker of a smile sparked in her eyes, but faded again just as soon as it had come, the sense of optimism leaving me just as swiftly. I continued to stare up at Rowloamon as she did the same to me, neither of us making any effort to do anything about the other's presence.

_Stupid human, go and fight her! You will have more power than you could even try to imagine if you destroy her! Invincible is what we will be! _Chills shot through my body, starting to feel less and less strange the more times that it happened. And now…her words were so tempting; if I was unbeatable, nothing would stand in the way of rescuing the Digital World from Cherubimon's wrath. And if Rowloamon was out of the way, there would be no way for her to come around one night and murder the Legendary Warriors in their sleep. _Now you are thinking like a Sentinel. Go and get her, Toshiku. Make AncientRaiafemon proud._

"By decree of Lord Cherubimon," Rowloamon sounded different than what she had when she'd given me a hint at my future through something I could remember like Koji's face: music. Her voice no longer held any harmony with the howling wind around her, and her features were stony and blank, only loyalty to Cherubimon's lies etched into her iris-lacking eyes now. "I command you to cease your striving and wait, sister of the Dark Master. Your lord grows aggravated with your impatience, and reminds you that the time is approaching faster than anyone could ever guess. His creation lies in wait for your arrival; he senses your nearing existence, and waits with eager tolerance for the instant that you shall reign the dark world to come at his side."

Suddenly, everything slowed way down. My hair blew in the wind as if someone had put everything into slow-motion; the sound of the rapid air was louder and droned like a can opener. Inside me didn't differ much from the surrounding area, but instead seemed to be causing the feeling of dizziness. Confused, pondering flutters were all I could feel, not even the coarse sand was enough to outdo the flits and twitters of wondering, the little tingles like that from the tips of feathers.

The tickling feathers stopped moving about and faded, almost as if whatever that had been understood and reluctantly accepted Rowloamon's words, and had grown silent again. But it was an eerie quiet, one that you would get from a being plotting your demise, just waiting for the right time to leap forward, blood-stained blades gripped tightly, ready to slice you into pieces and add your corpse to the rest in their skeleton-filled closet. I actually would've preferred that the feminine voice hadn't stopped talking. At least then I had an idea of what she was thinking about.

Rowloamon was gone the next time I looked up, and the clouds had returned to their fluffy selves, seeming quite happy to have been able to do so. I wanted to smile back up at the cottony puffs of white, but I couldn't do it. There was no happiness in me; I couldn't find it because I got it from the people around me. And no one was getting any joy from my presence anymore. Not even Koji.

_…Koji…_That single word, those two syllables were enough to bring me down again. His sadness hadn't left my mind once, but then again, how could it? One downcast shimmer in his eyes were enough to send a thousand bullets through me, shattering bones and draining my blood from my body like a syringe. Those tears were acid to me, burning my skin and melting my heart, but I'd brush them from his face nonetheless. But words…_'I don't need you!'_...were things that smoldered in my memory for eternities upon eternities, affecting my persona and actions like everything else in the world did to anyone. However, I would never be able to erase the words Koji had said to me yesterday. Never could I forget them.

Because even if he hadn't wholeheartedly meant them, I knew they were true.

If I were meant to be with Koji, then we wouldn't be having so many doubts about one another. I wouldn't be fretting about how Zoe kept getting after him, and how JP had told me that they'd been talking more and more lately when I wasn't around. If destiny had gotten things right for sure, then I'd be feeling nothing but undying affection and admiration for Koji, like I had the first few weeks that I'd known him. But as time went on, Zoe'd gotten bolder, and I'd started thinking. Now I didn't even know who to trust.

I watched with a quiet mind and mouth as we pulled up to the station, the wheels squeaking and creaking as we jerked to a stop. Sand was still billowing around in the wind like snow, spraying up into my eyes every time I opened them. But I forced myself with a slight reluctance to suffer through the annoying stings and just follow the rest of the group into the town. I didn't know where we were, but I could smell the tempting bouquet of sizzling meat and spices. Couldn't help but want to meet more than just the savory smell though.

Jumping off the small platform, I could see the other Warriors already heading into the small town, one of them standing motionless only a few yards away: Koji, standing there with a blank expression as he waited for me to come. His blue eyes still glowed with a hidden misery at seeing me, and I felt despondent knowing that I was the reason for his glumness again today.

Out of the blue, Koji held out a hand to me, the melancholy only fading slightly from his ocean-restraining eyes, but I had to choke down a lump in my throat despite it. Koji still had hopes for the two of us; his want for us to stay together had been shaken by yesterday's fight, but not broken. He was still ready and willing to try to work through anything that anyone threw our way.

Trying to remind myself to breathe, I took a few hesitant steps towards the ravenette, feeling completely certain that I was going to screw something up, I just wasn't quite sure what yet. It felt plain inevitable. But by the time I was standing next to Koji, nothing had gone wrong yet, and I decided to get something out that should've been said every day since the first day we met, "…Koji…I…I'm really sorry…I…" I didn't get to finish even if I had known how; the Warrior of Light put his fingers to my lips, rendering any words after that completely inaudible.

"I'm sorry," Koji's gaze locked with mine, the glow in the brightness of his irises telling me that he meant what he said, not that I had any doubt that he would make it up. I knew that Koji Minamoto wasn't the type to go about getting all fluffy if he didn't mean it. "I shouldn't have said that we—that _I_ didn't need you. Because that's a full-faced lie; I know it, and I want you to realize it too. Toshiku," Koji stopped for a minute and made a slightly irritated sound, like he was having troubles thinking of what to say next. But that didn't seem to stop him, it barely even phased him.

He rested his forehead against mine, blushing at his schmaltzy words as he wrapped all of the things he could've and wanted to say into one that would suffice for all of them, "You're everything to me—and I'll say that as many times as it takes to get you to believe it, because I mean it," The bandana-headed boy stole a quick peck from my cheek to support his words before taking my hand in a firm, but tender grip and leading me like a shepherd to a _bonkura_ sheep to follow the others.

I knew his hand was warm, I thought I could feel it, but my skin wasn't comprehending it, my nerves weren't sending the signals all the way to my brain like they used to. All there was to his touch was pressure, no feeling that I could sense anymore. _But what does that mean? Is this what it feels like when there's just nothing left to feel anymore? Could this be what Rowloamon meant when she said that my future was going to be like a song? What if it's all about a lost love or something? _Hoping I was wrong, I squeezed Koji's hand back tightly, pleading desperately with myself to feel something. Anything that would tell me I was wrong.

My heart wasn't racing like it normally did whenever Koji did something all fluff-oriented like this, it wasn't ready to jump right out of me and explode into a million pieces in hopes that one of those shards would land close enough to Koji so that he'd have something to remind him that he would always have my heart. A burning blush wasn't crossing my face like a deer sprinting across a highway; I wasn't turning red at all. I didn't feel anything.

_Do you understand now, Toshiku? You can't outrun your fate; you will suffer. One way, or another._ _And to be brutally honest, I can't decide which path I enjoy watching more._ Everything felt heavy in a matter of seconds; I dropped to my knees, intense pain racking my skull with every breath I took in. I pressed my palms up against my ears, trying to block out that same mystery voice, her tone was all that it took to freeze me, the only things I could feel now. The cold and the darkness. They refused to leave me to live my life without any hints to my future that screwed my patterns up.

Almost like she remembered something that had been forgotten only moments ago, the thickness around and inside me lessened slightly, leaving me with only a dull throbbing in my head. Glancing upwards, I saw Koji on one knee before me, a hand on my shoulder and his eyes filled with bewilderment and concern. Most times if I'd given him a little scare like that, I'd smile and say everything was alright, but now…it seemed wrong to even think of telling him what was going on, how I felt. Anything really.

Getting to my feet fortunately wasn't another world war, but ignoring Koji's caring gaze was like going up against an army of Gigasmon alone. Doing something like that was practically a crime against nature, like sticking your hand into the center of a fire and grabbing onto a charring piece of wood just because you wanted to know just what it felt like to burn along with it. I let my skin fall prey to the flames.

Walking away from him, I was sure that I could hear his puzzlement, sense the buzzing of thoughts rushing round and round in his head. None of them were completely right though; he thought something about yesterday was still bothering me, something he'd said or done to make me act so distant. He was only half-right though, I just wasn't sure if that was a good thing yet.

Koji caught back up to me in a surprising amount of time, but didn't say anything. Even his thoughts were reasonably quiet, though that wasn't hard to understand. He, of all people, would've been able to remember that Raveamon's abilities allowed me to read their minds without them even realizing it (Given the fact that I was utterly silent when I did so my presence wasn't detected). Even if he was thinking loud enough for me to hear, I wouldn't have tried to listen in anyway. I didn't want him knowing how I felt right now, or for the rest of forever. If he knew, if any of them knew, I wouldn't get one moment away from them. Solitude was the only place that there wasn't any hurt now.

We reached the others in a matter of minutes, walking down a dirt road that went straight through the small town, little shops and restaurant-similar buildings on both sides of it. The place sort of reminded me of one of those outlet malls, except for the creamy white Digimon with sesame seed buns on their heads running all over the place saying stuff about a gang of reptile Digimon. Only one, with a bunch of little floating brown things levitating in a semi-circle around her, caught my eye though. Apparently the feminine-ish Digimon snatched Zoe's attention as well.

"What's up with them?" Takuya asked no one in particular as the sand finally stopped billowing around us, allowing us to see clearly again. The only problem with that was now I could tell just how upset Koji was, and exactly how much he was trying to keep hidden from me and the rest of the group. Instead of feeling bad about making him feel like that, a slight spark of anger flickered on in me. _If he's going to hide feelings from me, so will I._

Zoe ran up to the group of Digimon, butting into their lives and problems like what was easy to expect from her. It wasn't hard to picture her being the kind of person to go around asking everyone about their troubles, always supposing that they would tell her exactly what was wrong with them and ask her to help. "Excuse me, are you alright?"

"Oh no, dear, a giant Digimon raided our village!" The pale, bug-eyed Digimon told her with sadness in her voice and tears in her eyes. I wished she could've given a better description of that Digimon; I just wanted to kick the _kuso_ out of something right now, and the Legendary Warriors were obviously off-limits. "He said something about the three moons making him hungry—" _Sounds like my kind of guy._ "—so my husband gave him a big plate of our best burgers."

"Now I'm hungry." Takuya stated nonchalantly, taking no notice of the fact that the woman-Digimon before all of us was clearly upset about something. I was sorely tempted to chew him out for it and tell him to have better manners, but I remained silent and stared at the Digimon instead, one single thought crossing my mind: What did data taste like anyway? I'd heard a few of the evil Warriors talk about it before…

I snapped out of the self-induced little trance with shock at my own sick thoughts; knowing what data was like meant killing a Digimon. Murdering tore the soul into pieces; the more you were to slay, the less and less human you became until finally you were nothing more than a beast. A machine solely purposed for demolishing the innocent and smothering the weak. _Welcome to the master plan._ …_Chikushou_ voice…

The depressed Tommy-height Digimon continued to explain her predicamid, even though I had my own and would rather sort them out. But it wasn't like I could just up and say that, even if I wanted to. "He liked them so much that he took my husband away to cook for him in his mansion." _She could've just said that her husband had been kidnapped by some evil Digimon _rokudenashi_ and ask for some assistance. I mean, is that really so _kusoimaimashii_ hard?_

"You could've just said that," I grumbled brusquely, reverting slightly back to the way that I'd been before getting the message from Ophanimon. The few words she'd said to me had given me a new sense of hope for my life, like maybe I could turn it around and make it better again, find happiness again. Not be so alone. But it looked like that was just a foolish dream now. "It would've wasted a lot less _kusoimaimashii_ time."

"Wow…" Tommy mumbled, seeming amazed at something that was apparently quite astounding. I had a certain feeling that he was breathing that word about my reaction, and choice of language. I wasn't surprised by the dirty look I got from Zoe for it, even Koji cast a glance at me. But I just glowered at him, an expression reading clearly, '_Dono yo na seiko_ are you looking at, Minamoto?'.

Koji blinked with confusion at my raging temper, having been provoked by absolutely nothing, but his thoughts were simple to guess. He wanted to know what was up with me, but knew that it would only get me even more riled up if he asked, and then we would both just be even closer to strangling each other. I could tell that Koji would need a lot of prodding to do that though; I was already pretty close to wanting to go up and smack someone, so it wouldn't be too hard for Dorothy over there to piss me off even more.

The little brown floating stress balls hovered by the other Digimon, who could be easily identified as their mother, and one of them squeaked sadly, being followed by the others in synchronized whining, "Daddy is coming back, isn't he Mama? Isn't he Mama?" _If he does, will you _seiko o shattodaun_? 'Cause I'd enjoy that._

Standing up, the potato-shaded woman addressed Takuya, his voicing of his grumbling stomach apparently making him qualified to be the leader of the group, and thus the person to go to when you needed an MIA search. "Please, young man, would you and your friends be able to help me find my husband?" Seiko_, I'm in that group. _Shimatta_. _

"I suppose," Takuya said unsurely, immediately taking on the responsibility of having to find the other Digimon. If there was one thing I wouldn't be able to understand about him was his uncanny ability to never think things through and actually ponder the consequences of what his actions might cause. Not that it really mattered what happened; there wasn't much you could do about it except fight it with all the power you had until you finally just couldn't stand anymore and gave up. It was as simple as bleeding. "But I wouldn't even know where to begin looking for him."

One of the little brown softball-sized Digimon floated over to Takuya, getting close enough to me that I felt the urge to swat at it. I probably would've if I hadn't had a sliver of self-control left; my patience for anything, even myself, was starting to wear thin. And I just couldn't understand it; that made me even angrier. "The monster will bring Daddy back if we make a beggar burger." The small creature told him, unable to annunciate each word correctly, making it seem like he was making no sense at all. Or he had no idea what he was even talking about in the first place.

"He means a 'better' burger—" _I think we all could've _kusoimaimashii_ assumed that. Okay, maybe one or two or us wouldn't have been able to, but who the _seiko_ cares?_ "—but I'm afraid that's impossible," Mrs. My-husban-is-lost-and-I-should-be-looking-for-him-but-I'm-not-and-instead-I'm-asking-complete-strangers-for-help suddenly turned from her slightly positive thinking and became solemn again. Chikushou_, this _subeta_ needs to make up her _kusoimaimashii_ mind._ "My husband makes the best burgers around. There's no way _anyone_ can make a better hamburger than my husband. Oh, dear, what are we going to do?" Her voice shivered and trembled as if ill, the tone of her sounds full of self-pity and fright for the well-being of her husband. I couldn't help but feel that her worry for him was useless; it was obvious that if it was a foe of any kind of threat his life would have already been ended due to his uselessness. No matter how much power you gave anything, it would never be enough to make it matter.

Never. _Now, you finally have begun to see the whole picture, Toshiku. I knew it wouldn't be as hard to make you see as those moronic Warriors made it seem. They just did not realize how a mind like yours works. When you push on glass, it's bound to break, and you've begun to crack like an egg._

Whoever that had been in my dream was right: Power was everything. The only thing. _My Lord has more to offer you than you would at first have believed at his commands; you didn't understand his anxiety and extreme aggravation. But now he has collected himself and is ready to try again. The question is are you worthy of his troubles?_

I didn't care about what Seraphimon said. He didn't know everything, he didn't have the knowledge to tell me what I had wanted to know unless he had lied. It was obvious that he hadn't known what he was talking about; if he had, he wouldn't have gotten himself turned into a DigiEgg because of one of my mistakes. He would've let me suffer my self-inflicted pain and destruction. _You learn quickly when you do not have purposeless flaws and bothers, miseries and troubles, hanging over your head and weighing down your shoulders like a beast of burden. That rokudenashi Seraphimon had no knowledge of your pain; there was nothing he could tell you that would prepare you for anything that you were to suffer through. But Master pitied you, he observed your soul for flaws and sent me to fix them._

The Legendary Warriors didn't need a Sentinel here to help them along; what the hell was I here for if that was really true? I was reasonless to them; I had no purpose with them, or even in this world. I knew I was right, there was no doubt in my mind about that. So, why was I even here? _I see you will have questions no matter what I tell you, or what end of the line you end up clinging for life to. I suppose I cannot blame you though; I can't say I would be without misunderstanding. But I know where to find the solutions to all of your predicamids, and drugs to cure all of that which plagues your mind. In the dark. That is where you will find comfort. Consolation. Healing. _

Destiny had always felt closest to me whenever I couldn't feel anything but the ice surging around my burning heart. I had felt fate dig its claws into me whenever I had dug mine into another living being, feeling the warmth of their liquefied-life rushing past my cells. I'd never felt more alive then when I was dead to the warmth of those around me. _The flickering light in your heart is growing weary of its dark domain, and wishes to go on to a brighter, more joyous place. Why hold him back from happiness—_

"Toshiku? Hey, Tosh—not this again," Koji muttered as he shook my shoulder, saying my name a few times as he did. There was a slight hint of worry to his vocals, but it was disguised by his knowing that this kind of thing happened almost every five minutes. Even though he had absolutely no idea that nearly every time I blanked out of the Digital World, I was buried in my own dark thoughts. I glanced over at him with an irritated air to my glare, asking without a sound other than a light growl what his purpose for intruding in on my pondering was. "Could you try to pay at least a little attention to what's going on around you, Toshiku?" It was easy to tell that there was much more that Koji wanted to say, but he didn't continue any further than that.

I stared at the black-haired-boy, his cerulean eyes locking with mine in a tense gaze that would've been impossible to be broken even by a stainless steel, double-edged sword swung by one of the Ancient Warriors themselves. But there was no rage or threatening energy in either of our glances, only concern for the other's well-being and mental status, and the occasional spark of affection to earn the other smile. However, despite all Koji's attempts to get a grin out of me, I couldn't get any farther than coming back into a reality that wasn't aggravating me. At least not as much as it could've been.

Forcing a small, but hopefully convincing smile onto my lips, I did the only thing I could muster that could be considered words right about now: Sing. " Feel your every heartbeat, feel you on these empty nights. Calm the ache, stop the shakes. You clear my mind. You're my escape from this messed up place 'cause you let me forget. You numb my pain.

" How can I tell you just all that you are? What you do to me…

" You're better than drugs. Your love is like wine. Feel you coming on so fast, feel you coming to get me high. You're better than drugs. Addicted for life. Feel you coming on so fast, feel you coming on to get me high!

" Feel you when I'm restless, feel you when I cannot cope. You're my addiction, my prescription, my antidote. You kill the poison, ease the suffering. Calm the rage when I'm afraid to feel again.

" How can I tell you just all that you are? What you do to me…

" You're better than drugs. Your love is like wine. Feel you coming on so fast, feel you coming to get me high. You're better than drugs. Addicted for life. Feel you coming on so fast, feel you coming on to get me high!

" How can I tell you just all that you are? What you do to me…

" Feel your every heartbeat, feel you on these empty nights…" *stops to think for a second but continues* "You're the strength of my life…

" You're better than drugs. Your love is like wine. Feel you coming on so fast, feel you coming to get me high. You're better than drugs. Addicted for life. Feel you coming on so fast, feel you coming on to get me high!

" Feel your every heartbeat, feel you on these empty nights…Feel you coming on so fast, feel you coming to get me high…Feel your every heartbeat, feel you come to get me high…Feel you coming on so fast, feel you coming on to get me high. To get me high! " I ended just as quietly as I had begun, not even being loud enough to attract the attention of the four cooks and nine Digimon. Continuing to attempt to smile at a slightly puzzled Koji, I hesitantly reached over to him, unsure if I even knew what I was doing, but feeling that it was right nonetheless. My palm made contact with Koji's face first, the touch lighter than that of a feather as I held his head in my hand, gently stroking his blushing cheek with my thumb as I told him quietly, "I only feel one heartbeat right now; I think that it's yours, because you are my purpose for staying here, Jiku. Why I'm currently alive. And I swear on my brother's heart that I will stay until you beg me to leave. That's as far as I can make myself go. After that moment…"

I paused, my heart sensing that it was about to shatter into billions of splinter-sized pieces if I told Koji that if the time ever did come, like that voice said that it would, that he wanted me gone, out of his life forever…that I would leave with barely a second thought about it. There had to be someone better than me for Koji, it was an obvious fact. Who knew? Maybe they were even here in the Digital World with us.

Gaining a slight bit of courage from a source I still couldn't name, I finished my sentence with a small croak erupting from my throat, my emotions starting to drip like a leaking faucet back into my reach, though I could feel deep down that it was only because that entity was allowing it to, "After that moment, I promise I'll let you go. But there's only one thing that no one can make me do no matter what they decide to try…and that's forget you, and the way I'll always feel about you. I want you to remember that Koji, above everything I'll ever say to you, that's the only thing I want to come to your mind whenever you picture my face. Can you do that?" My tone had grown so hushed it was barely an audible whisper anymore, I could hear and feel a heartbeat pounding away like rapid fire, but I wasn't sure whose it actually was. Something told me that it was Koji's.

The slightly younger boy gazed at me for a long while without a peep, his eyes shimmering with mixed emotions at the song and my words. He realized what I meant by choosing to sing that particular song, but clearly wasn't sure what to think of another source of darkness existing inside me quite yet. Not that that was very surprising. Even Koji wasn't experienced enough in the Digital World to know everything that a Digimon could do when dealing with either another Digimon or a human. I doubted that even Bokomon really knew; however, I didn't plan on mentioning this particular subject any other time soon or in the far future anyway.

After a long, silent while, the ponytail-ed ravenette's eyes cleared of the confusion and was left with only a partially hidden misery at the thought I'd put in his head, and a minute embarrassment at everything else I'd brought into the light of his presence. He nodded slightly, his voice louder than mine, but still airy and shushed, "Something tells me we won't have to worry about that time coming, Toto. I don't plan on telling you to go any time soon. An ice cream truck riding a teal lightning bolt would strike me dead before I got rid of you," A tiny grin crossed his bright red face, slightly nuzzling into the warmth of my hand as he continued to gaze at me, his sea-storm-blue eyes sparkling contentedly.

Now would be about the time that happiness crashed over me like an unexpected thunderstorm during a night late in the month of June, the lighting making its grand appearance everywhere in the sky like Hollywood lights as the thunder cheered with glee for its friend-since-the-beginning-of-time-itself. But I felt nothing, I could barely even sense the warmth from Koji's heated face. It was possible that my nerves had been shot and were still healing after Mukademon's tricks, but it felt like it had been too long since then for it to be a logical answer. However, I didn't need to think about it to know that now wasn't the time to be thinking. It was about time I gave Koji more than words.

I felt miserable and deceitful that I had to force out every action that involved showing any emotion other than anger and depression, but I did anyway to keep any of the others from realizing that something was terribly wrong and I needed more than just answers now. Koji couldn't keep the darkness inside of me at bay for that long; the façade his existence created in my life was cracking so much you could barely tell that it was there in my soul anymore. It was just a pile of rubble in the way of monsters now.

Moving the few steps that separated us, I wrapped an arm around his waist and drew him close to me, keeping one hand in its place to caress his smooth cheek. Taking in the sight of the innocently reddening Light Warrior that I dared call mine for a moment, I pressed our lips together, the kiss fervent and spirited like it would be the last seal of affection we'd ever give each other. Despite Koji's quite convincing words, the voice still had a point. Something could happen, and my Light could change his mind. But for now, all that mattered was preventing that from ever happening.

After he got over the shock of my unexpected kiss, the raven-head relaxed into my suddenly energetic actions, and wrapped his arms around my neck, burying his fingers in my unruly hair as he returned the fervent compassion with just as much of a punch. My whole body felt numb; I could feel Koji's heat beginning to penetrate the ice that was pressing up against my skin, giving me shivers and freezing me to the core. I wanted to feel warm again; I didn't care if I needed oxygen to live, I couldn't stand the cold anymore. I didn't want to freeze in a world as cold as the one I used to know. The one without my friends.

"So, Squirt, when do you think they'll notice that we've been…'watching the nature channel'?" _…Oh, _seiko_. And I was just about to feel like a werewolf again. Why does that _bonkura_ chocoholic have to stare every single time I try to have some quality time with Puppy? _

"Don't know. But I'm straight as a pretzel..." _…For a little kid, he's got some serious issues dealing with 'the talk' to work out. If he's even had 'the talk' dealing with the nature channel yet. His parents are probably going to wait to give it to him until the night before his wedding._

I broke the kiss, earning a groan of disapproval from Jiku, and glanced over in the basic direction that the two had spoken from. Koji followed suit after taking a mental note that I wouldn't breathe without standing right next to him if he was willing to be cute and cuddly unless something was wrong. The sight just a few feet away from us nearly had Koji in the emergency room with a heart attack like the last time something similar to this had happened: JP and Tommy's faces pressed up against the window, staring. And by their turned-on expressions, they'd seen the whole _chikushou_ thing.

Growling in embarrassed anger at the two of them, I left Koji's heated embrace and jumped up to the window, slamming both of my fists against their pressed-up faces with a pleased smirk as they both fell backwards. Cupping my hands then to my mouth and leaning close to the window, I shouted, but only loud enough to get the sound through the glass, "_Muko_, perverts!" JP covered his mouth as if he were horrified at my language, but Tommy seemed perfectly used to it. He was still more concerned with the fact that I'd gotten to make-out with Koji and the closest he'd ever come to that was when…hm, apparently he didn't get that many chances. _Oh, that's probably why he's pissed as hell._

I gave my head a toss as I let out a small scoff at Tommy's reaction to something that we'd been able to keep hidden skillfully until only a day or so ago. Though the failed secret didn't bother me as much as it could've; it wasn't like JP or Tommy were going to be much of a threat. Takuya wouldn't accept that I didn't plan on choosing him any time soon until the day that one of us died, it was still a fight to the finish in his mind. _But Zoe…Now there's a challenge in need of elimination._

Sensing that I was nearing a rage again, Koji came up to me, and setting a gentle hand on my shoulder, smiled at me as he suggested, "Why don't we go inside with everyone else and get cooking? I've never cooked before, but I've always gotten the notion that you're a natural by the way you eat." He grinned at his own clever words before pushing a hesitant me into the grilled-meat-smelling building, the delicious bouquet making my mouth water despite my will to fight. But Koji was trying to be as cute and inconspicuous as he could, and even the littlest bit that he was being was enough to calm be substantially.

My body held back a smile for me when I heard Neemon's always cheerful and Ke$ha-resounding voice splitting through the scent-drenched air, "All of this food is making me drool!" I wanted to agree with him outloud, but my voice disobeyed my commands like my expressions, leaving me with blankness and silence. _This feels just like old times; nothings changed about me. I knew it wasn't possible for someone to change. I knew it had to be too good to be true. _

"Don't be like that, Toshiku. You can't stay mad forever; I know you too well, there's no way you can. We'll find a way. We always do, so take it easy and relax a bit." Koji's sweet, wonderful voice broke through the angered fog in my thoughts, but the weather didn't clear, only held back its strike for the moment, waiting for the perfect time to strike again, the lightning setting fire to the green life of all my happy thoughts.

Leaving Koji's warm remembrance of feelings, I tugged on a simple white apron with a few pockets about at the hips; I couldn't keep my mind from wandering slightly and wondering why the hell there were aprons fit perfectly for people here in the Digital World where apparently few to no people ever were. Ignoring the fact that it barely mattered and wasn't worth pondering over, I wondered about it as I tied the strings of the apron behind my back. But I was pulled sharply back out of my apron-fascination by a very high-pitched squeaking sound and a pleased humming following it almost immediately.

I turned with a small, 'Huh?' noise at the disturbance of my finishing tying a knot, and watched with amazement and slight confusion as Koji repeatedly whacked an extremely happy Tommy with a metal cooking utensil, his face red with most likely anger and embarrassment as Tommy squealed with gay joy, "You've got a really pretty tushie!" I couldn't help but agree with him there: Koji _did_ have a very nice _oshiri_. But that didn't mean the poor guy wanted gay 8 year-olds coming up and touching him.

That didn't seem to matter to Tommy whatsoever.

He just kept on talking to the little flying bun-like Digimon while chopping up an onion with a knife much too big for the task he was attempting to complete without injury. Not that I was one to talk, since I was using the same kind of knife to slice a small onion into small rectangular pieces. I could barely remember a recipe that my mother had made often; my memories before I'd come to the Digital World were starting to grow blurry and blotted like the beginnings of blindness, almost as if something were taking an eraser to the scenes of my life, or cutting out parts of my existence that to them seemed unfit. But I knew I had to be screwing with myself, there was no way in hell that that would, or even could happen. And even if it was, Wereraiomon would've spoken up about it by now. She would've found the problem and solved the puzzle, found a solution to all of the problems with my mind. '_Trust in your Spirits. They'll help you.' I can't count how many times I've heard that line before…but what other choices do I even have?_

Scraping the chopped onion into a small pan along with a few tablespoons of butter, I returned to one of the multiple sinks with a couple of potatoes, about seven to be exact, and continued on to wash and peel each of them before slicing each into four chunks and dropping them into a pot of boiling water. I could hardly recall how long they were supposed to be in there, or even how long I was to wait before removing the onions from the heat, but I figured I'd smell the time before I knew it, so I moved from my own 'station' and meandered among the others to kill the time. _I hope Zoe burns herself. Or better yet, gets her finger caught in that blender over there._

I paused for a moment at Takuya's little corner of the giant kitchen, noticing as he set a tray piled high with all kind of meats down near the edge of the counter, out of the way of his cooking. Noticing me leaning against the opposite side of the counter, and a confident smirk formed on his lips as he rested his crossed arms against his end of the waist-high platform and said in a sultry, fake-deep voice, "Well, well. Look what the Big, Bad Werewolf dragged in. Is it just me, or is it warm in here?"

"Yeah," I replied with a short nod of my head, leaning towards him for the hell of psyching him out before grabbing a chunk of raw meat and slapping him across the face with it. As soon as he got over the fact that I'd just whacked him with a slab of meat, I tossed what hadn't fallen onto the floor at him before getting back up and moving on to the next little station of the kitchen. "But I think it's just the ovens, there are a lot of them in here. Besides, you _are_ the Warrior of Flame. Keep dreaming 'bout your big, bad wolfie, sweetheart. Oh, and try anything like that on me again, and you'd better be running for your life by the time I turn around." _…I think that was the first time I've ever used _that_ phrase before. At least I can tell that the voice is taking a breather for the time being._

_Oh, am I? Or am I just letting you have a bit of fun while you still have the choice? Think about it, Toshiku. If I'm strong enough to keep hidden from your little Beastie, what chance do you think _you_ or anyone else really has against me? Oh, but don't think too hard, little girl; when the times comes, you won't even need more than 5 seconds to figure _that _jigsaw puzzle out._

_…Well, _shimatta_! _Dono yo na seiko_ is with this _kusoimaimashii subeta_? Can't she make up her _kusoimaimashii_ mind and just stay or go?_ Despite the deafening shouting in my head—for once it _was_ me—I could still tell that the entity had made her choice, and I dreaded the fact that I'd literally been stupid enough to give her an option. Stay, or leave. Going by the freezing feeling that had begun to spread through my veins, filling my pores and giving me goosebumps, it was clear that the presence that made me shudder and shake had decided to permanently remain rooted in my head, playing with the delicate fibers of my mind and listening to my conversations with everyone. Even eavesdropping on my thought processes.

"Oh, I will! And you can take _that_ to the bank, Ku!" The subtle Flame Fighter shouted across the room, a pleased little grin at his own brilliance settling contentedly onto the brunette's lips. Despite the opening he left for me to mock him further, I remained silenced as I shuffled over to Bokomon and Neemon. I remained silent as I stood by them, the duo glancing up at me before exchanging glances of concern as if I wasn't even there.

I glared down at the two Digimon with a light snarl, feeling anger towards them for a reason that my conscious mind couldn't comprehend. Eventually the bubbling sensations boiling in my stomach sent their chemical reactions up into my brain like always, and I growled snappishly, "_Dono yo na seiko_ are you staring at me for?" My sudden outburst earned me bewildered expressions from JP, Tommy, and Zoe, only enraging me further. "Well?"

"Is…is something bothering you, Toshi?" JP inquired with a notable caution, as if he were preparing himself for anything that could possibly happen next. He was clearly expecting me to suddenly dark-digivolve into something and try to tear the stuffing out of everything and everyone there as if I couldn't control anything that I did. _I hate that question. I hate that name. And I hate _them_. _Kamisama_, I really wanna kick the _kuso_ out of something right about now._

"Yeah," Tommy agreed thoughtfully with a small bob of his head, his orange mushroom hat falling down slightly. His eyes were filled with concern for my current state of sentiment, thinking that it was strange for me to be so full of rage, and my temper becoming shorter than the wick of a candle. "You're usually not so—"

"No matter what you guys say, she's not gonna talk, you know. She always does exactly what she wants to do, so why waste your breath trying to get her open up and talk to you?" I cast a loathing glower over to the blonde, who didn't even look up at me as she spoke. I couldn't help but notice that she knew the darker side of me even better than I did. _…Is…Is it because…she knows what's inside my head?_ "We should just let her be alone like what's best, at least until she calms down and is actually ready to be a civilized person again." _So much for that _kuso_._

I snarled with a deep hatred at the blonde Wind-Warrior, but I felt enough self-control not to go up and pulverize her into the dressing she was making due to my raging soul. It was so hard to read, the sudden loathing sensation towards everything around me, including myself, it was as unexpected as an icy blizzard in the middle of June. It felt just like that inside me; my heart was supposed to be warm and beating rapidly like always, but it was so slow I could've passed as half-dead, and my lifeline to cold I could've felt the ice by putting a hand to my chest. It felt real, like all the thoughts I used to understand these pains were actually occurring, but that was impossible. _Yeah, yeah. I know, Wereraiomon. But this time I know I'm right._

The heat of my anger slowly subsided as I thought about what I was really doing, what I _wasn't_ going to be accomplishing through tearing Zoe into tiny pieces and burning them. _I know what this is; I'm moodier than normal because I caught some kind of virus from a Digimon, or maybe something I ate. That's gotta be it, it's the only other explanation I have. And that voice is just some kind of hallucination due to the warmth of my anger affecting some kind of fever or something. That's all that this is, I've just gotta hold on until it's all over. _

I shoved my hands in my pockets, feeling my D-Tector clink against my leg almost defiantly at the sudden change of position. I turned from the three of them and walked back over to my little cooking corner, everyone in the room watching silently now, waiting with anxious eagerness to witness what someone might choose to do next. I yanked off the apron, and shot a glance at Neemon that clearly said, 'Watch the onions and potatoes. You're responsible for them, for now.' I averted my gaze from the yellow rabbit to Koji and Takuya's general direction before moving towards the back door. "I'm going out for some air. Something isn't…right. I can just barely feel that; I need to check it out. Don't wait up." Without waiting for any kind of reply, I opened the rectangular entrance and walked out into the dim night without another word.

I wandered around in the sandy town, completely unaware of where I was going but knowing that I couldn't go back to the Warriors quite yet; I could still feel the lava bubbling within me, just waiting for the moment to spurt out of my throat like a crack in the tectonic plates and obliterate anything and everything in its path. I felt like I was in one of those horror movies where the main character had some kind of split personality they didn't know about, and it was acting through them without the other persona even realizing it until it was too late to regain control or do anything about it. But all of that was just plot stuff for movies and a couple of books, kinda like what Stephen King might write about. Not real life. _Even if I'm in the Digital World, a lot of the same rules apply. Multiple Personality Disorders still go by their own guidelines, even here. There's no way that could be what all this is about. I'm probably right about getting sick._

After a while, I couldn't force myself to walk any farther, and collapsed into a sitting position next to a decent-sized boulder, about the size of the one that had kicked the tar out of me—actually, that I'd used to beat the crap out of myself—back when Garu had been rendered back to his data form, and his essence had floated up into the sky like a falling star that didn't know which way was down. I shifted my position to rest up against the rock, and gazed up blankly at the moonlit, star-shadowed sky above me.

Back in the regular world I'd always felt like all the astronomy stuff was something more than what all the teachers made it out to be. Like there was something behind all of it, just waiting for someone brave enough, stupid enough, to truly ponder the questions that had plagued all humans, no matter who they were: Are there other worlds out there? Do other creatures exist on other planets besides Earth? Is there more life that we don't know about yet? Now, somebody had the answers to them, though no one was going to learn of them. The Dark enjoyed its company, but there was a chance that some may not be willing to follow it, and that would only make for more troubles in the plan. Flaws were unacceptable.

I shook my head vigorously after that last thought, leaning back up slightly as not to scrape my head against the hard surface of the stone. _Did I really think that? But…I don't think that…do I? I've never been _that_ cold, have I? I can't remember anymore…Everything's so fuzzy… _Sighing quietly through my nose, I stared longingly up at the abyss of blackness, lit only by the three hued moons and the trillions of stars that were visible, each and every one of them it seemed. I felt like I was missing out on something that was important for someone like me to have, something special that I needed only the midnight sky could give me. I only wished I knew what that 'something' was.

Despite the beauty of the serene sight before me, I closed my heavy-lidded eyes, feeling a sudden rush of comfort race through me as I did so. I hadn't gotten any semi-decent sleep since the voice had shown its ugly…sound in my head, the vocals of its resonating sound being enough to send me blood-curdling nightmares that I nearly woke up screaming to. The lone reason I didn't was to make sure that no one else was awakened by it, only to question why I'd cried out in the first place. But here, there was no one but me and the boulder. I could be as loud as I wanted to, and it would all be over by the time anyone knew. Sleep was inevitable.

_I gasped under the pressure of her foot crushing down on my chest, my ribs threatening to shatter and pierce my delicate heart and lungs. Her cold stare glared down at me from above, ruby-red eyes smoldering with such loathing, I didn't understand what I'd done to earn that hatred. "You can't take away my strength—it isn't yours to take." I choked out, struggling to shove her away from me, achieving nothing but more force being applied. _

_"Heh," She scoffed with a distorted grin, her face, once a masterpiece in my eyes, but now a symbol of the tainted dark, twisted in her malice. I could hardly believe that this being had a part of me, and I a portion of her. "I've told you, Toshiku. We are one, and always shall be. You are no longer needed; all you're good for now is a bit of extra data to get me through the days of homicide. All will die, or fall under the reign of the darkness. And it's all thanks to you, Toshiku Yumari." _

_All that power I'd felt only seconds ago faded into nothingness at her words. I would be the cause for millions of deaths all over the two worlds; it was inevitable. Sorrow struck me like a two-ton behemoth, crushing what was left of my soul, all that the Angel of Darkness hadn't already stolen from me. The worst part was knowing that without a Spirit, I didn't stand a chance at stopping what she planned to do. And there was no doubt in my mind about my friends: They wouldn't come if I called for them; they wouldn't even turn their heads towards the sound of my cry. _

_I was alone. _

_I tried to regain my composure; I couldn't just fall apart before her like a snowman crumbled underneath the heat of the midday sun. I had to keep trying, I had to search for the strength within myself to defeat this opponent. I just had to."…I-I…I'll find a way to stop you—"_

_"How are you going to do that, hm? With your Beast gone, you have nothing. Correct me if wrong, but I don't see any way for you to be of any threat to my cause whatsoever. The Light despises you, has tried to destroy you. Why fight for it anymore?" Removing the force from my torso, she crouched beside me, a taloned hand reaching down towards my face. A sudden charge of despair and pain rushed through my body at her touch, but it wasn't mine. _

_It was the hurt of others. It made me feel whole._

_"Now, you see, Toshiku," She spoke with such heartlessness, like she was aching to destroy me, but it was her duty to recruit every creature she came across. If refusal was their answer, then annihilation was allowed to be a factor. "You will be at your most deadly stage; Lord Cherubimon refers to it as your evolution form. There would be nothing you could not do, no one you would be unable to destroy. Why bother with being a weak, pathetic human, when you could become the most powerful being under Lord Lucemon's hand? Release your hold on the last of your sanity, and lose everything to gain the world…Will you serve?" Her talons dug into my forehead and temples, blood beginning to run down my face in five lines that curled and twisted around my features, contorted in the sting, and the malevolence, and the memories I'd always thought had meant something but truly never had._

_The pain of the other beings made mine feel as if it were lessening somehow, leaving me to haunt another. Joy and happiness bubbled up in my soul, tears springing into my eyes at the sensations, but I just couldn't stop myself. I hadn't felt anything as good as this in so long, it was too hard to resist. I had to have more. Death would be found by the weary heart, unless more death was created. I just had to be the one to strike them down first. "I will—"_

My eyes snapped open as I shot up like a bullet, gasping and running my hands over my cold, sweat-drenched face, expecting to find that those scrapes were there. But they weren't; it was all just another nightmare. Though…this one had felt even more real than they normally did, like the being that had been too shrouded in black to be able to see had actually come to me in my sleep, and had put her hand to my forehead, but left before I'd woken.

That thought sure as hell got me back to the group pretty fast.

Before I even had time to think everything through a bit more clearly I was back at the door to the burger restaurant. _The others are probably still a bit pissed; maybe I should just keep going on to the Rose Morning Star. If they catch up, fine. If they don't…then we're both on our own. But I can't just leave, they're my friends. If they were gonna leave, Tommy would come and tell me, knowing him. I've gotta at least do the same._ Sighing deeply through my nose, I moved unsurely through the saloon-similar doors and into the great-smelling kitchen. Which was the very place that I met a sight I never expected to see in my whole life.

"KOJI, CHIPMUNK-SPIRIT-EVOLUTION-MODE, ACTIVATE!" The black-haired-boy screamed at the top of his lungs with a grin equal to Mount Fuji, his D-Tector held high in the air while he stood proudly on one of the counters. The next thing I knew, he'd jumped back onto the floor, and was jumping around on his toes with his arms drawn up close to his body like a squirrel (apparently Koji didn't know the difference when he was acting…psychotic), and was squeaking with each little leap that he took. All I could do was stare at him with my mouth agape, mouthing, '_Nani yo_…?' as I observed the obviously happy boy jump around like a lunatic that had watched one too many 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' movies.

I attempted to steer clear of the bouncing boy the best I could as I moved over to Takuya, who was smirking to himself as he continued to cook, either completely oblivious to the fact that his buddy was running around like an idiot, or ignoring it. Despite my slight fear of him still being slightly wary of how I'd acted before, I meandered up to the brunette, and jumping up on the counter just to his side, I questioned him, "Hey…Takuya? Why is—"

"Nyquil, and Red Bull, baby," He chimed with a squeak of his own before I even had the chance to say Koji's name. I couldn't help but wonder how he could be so sure of himself; did he kinda…know these things, or did he guess and just so happen to get half of everything right? But I guess that was a couple of inquires for another day. "I poured the stuff into his puréed squid, and when he ate one he just started bouncing off the walls and it just looks like so much fun that I've been sniffing this air freshener so I can get, like, high off of it or something and join him. You want something?" Takuya held out to fruit-scented block as he spoke; I could see his nose prints on it even from this far away.

I held up a hesitant hand and gave it a gentle push back towards the…interesting boy. "Heheh…uh, no thanks, Taku. I think I'll stick with the potatoes…Holy crap, where the hell is Neemon?" I shouted to both myself and kinda the two morons as I leapt off the counter and looked around madly for the yellow creature that was _supposed_ to be guarding the boiling potatoes and browning onions.

I didn't expect him to come running in with the pot of boiling potatoes in his paws, screaming about how he should've worn oven mitts and how it burned, with Bokomon chasing after him, contemplating whether or not snapping his waistband and calling him a nincompoop was a good idea right about now. I had to admit, I reacted faster than I could think, and my hands were just about ready to up and leave me.

Rushing over to the smoldering rabbit, snatched the hot pan from him, making my hands begin to burn like hell. I sat the pot of potatoes and water on the stove with a loud thump, the boiling water swishing up against the edge and splashing onto my hands. I let out a hiss of pain as I rushed over to the sink and ran cold water over my hands, hearing Neemon say as I did, "He-Hey! We have matching hands now!" When I glanced down to figure out what the hell he was talking about, I noticed when he was reaching up towards me that the both of us had scarlet red, blistering hands from the extreme heat.

I forced a smile onto my mouth as I nodded, agreeing with Neemon's 'statement'; I wanted to laugh and joke about his little quote, but happiness was still too far out of reach for me to do anything but fake it. But it was enough, and Neemon let out a little giggle of his own before going off to bug Bokomon with his blisters, saying over and over again how he was the beginnings of a fire zombie and that Bokomon was going to be his first meal of brains. It was still hard for me to believe that two Digimon that were so different had become such great friends. _I wonder if I'll ever meet somebody like that…_

"Hiya, Toto!" The notoriously hyper Koji quipped with such cheerfulness it was hard to believe that a bit too much Nyquil and energy drink stuff could do this to a guy. For an example, make a dude talk nonstop for about…I could've sworn it was a half hour. "While you were gone we all made burgers, but Takuya's turned out really bad so then we decided to make a competition out of it, and then the others got sick of paying any attention to it so they went outside to try Tommy's. They smelled really good, but I was afraid to try one just in case he'd drugged 'em, and since they haven't come back for a long time, I think that he did and I'm glad I didn't eat one. Then I made another one with a lot of fruit in it and it was really super colorful, you would've loved it and I know you would've 'cause I can tell just by looking at you that you're the type of person to really like fruit and—"

I pressed a hand over Koji's smiling mouth, even though that only muffled his voice since he kept on talking despite the blockade. I could hear Takuya starting to laugh uncontrollably and figured that it was only a matter of time before I was going to have to be dealing with two of these…things. "I think you need to visit the duct tape doctor, Koji." I mumbled mainly to myself, trying to lessen the headache the thick presence of the voice and Koji's never-ending chatter. I liked to hear his voice, but even pretty sounds had their limits.

Except for one statement.

I removed my hand from Koji's mouth for a split second to rest my arm, and that small moment gave Koji the opportunity to say the very thing that made my freezing heart feel a small warmth again, "I love you, Toshiku! And I'm glad that I met you, and that you got to be all mine forever and ever! There's never been another girl like you in my life before. You love me too, right, Ku?" I let out a small gasp at his words, and shot him a glance so surprised and taken aback that even he looked a bit confused at my amazement. But his words weren't all that surprised me; why he somehow seemed…guilty of something, to me was plaguing my mind, though I really didn't know what to think of it.

I didn't use, or hear, that word very often, let alone coming from Koji. He always tried to steer clear of any emotionally mushy statements or anything of the sort, but was only fluffy because he knew it kept me decently calm and we both enjoyed one another's presence so close to our own. The existence of a similar being was an extraordinary feeling that many people knew of, but had never become aware of until a dire moment had turned its hideous head into sight. Many times it wasn't realized until it was far too late to do anything more about it.

Senses like that were rare and dangerous, but when you fell head-first into them, it was such an intoxicating process, you didn't care or pay attention to the consequences that could occur because of one choice, one misstep. A single wrong move could cause long nights filled with tears and agony, wishes and wonders of things that could've been or how they used to be. I'd gone through days like that, but never more than a few at a time; only thinking about it could bring back the pain. Nothing more, always less. But I could tell by the way this question of his brought about fire within me, if Koji left, the pain would be strong enough to make me suffer until I died, and stay with me in the afterlife, if there really was one.

Koji was my heaven, and my hell. He could kill me if he wanted, and there wasn't anything that could stop him from bringing me to life. Never-melting ice could coat my heart in layers thicker than the Arctic's, but that boy would be able to free my spirit from the frozen prison with a simple touch of his hand, a moment's embrace to save my soul. The bandana-headed warrior could send me spiraling into a depression that no savior could rescue you from with two simple words: Leave me. There was nothing to keep him from torturing me on the inside, casting my sanity from my side until nothing was left but the beast within, begging only for one last taste of his essence. Or death.

"…Yeah," I nodded uncertainly, wondering why this expression of his feelings for me weren't doing hardly anything that I'd thought that heartfelt things like these were supposed to. I didn't feel any warmer than I had when we'd last kissed, I felt the same as when I'd hugged him. There was no heat in me; nothing but the cold. "Sure, Koji. Whatever makes you happy." _If happiness is always right outside the door, how do you let it in without frightening it away by the sudden movement of the door? Or is this emptiness just a Yumari thing?_

Koji's smile grew immensely at my quiet, unsure words; he gave me an Eskimo kiss, rubbing his nose against mine while giggling quite girlish-ly. Moving back out of my personal space for a slight moment bouncing right back, he chimed with a hyper-ish cheer, "_You_ make me happy, silly! You're funny, you're cuddly, and you're all mine! What else could I possibly want, hm?" _I don't know. Maybe a clue of what's going on? That would be pretty _kusoimaimashii_ helpful right about now._

I gave a small shrug as I returned to the onions that Neemon (I actually assumed that it had been Bokomon) had been courteous enough to turn the heat off on and mixed them into the eggs and soured cream that someone had gotten out (I figured that Bokomon had read the recipe somewhere in this place and had just been trying to help out while Neemon burned the _kuso_ out of his paws). "Don't know," From the look that he gave me next, I could tell that he was expecting me to give him an idea. Ter-frickin'-rific. "Uh…a name for your ponytail? Or something…?" Seiko_, that sounds dumb, even to me. And obviously to Takuya too._

The brunette erupted with laughter, squeaking and squealing like a little piglet (It was pretty easy to see that his air freshener idea had gone as planned) as he remarked with a snort, "A name? For his _hair_? HAHA!" Takuya continued to bawl due to his giggles for a while longer before he staggered away and fell flat on his face, only to continue his fit there on the floor among the tray of burger buns that he'd knocked on the floor.

But Koji seemed to ponder it for a while, 'hmm'ing to himself as he thought, his fingers tapping absentmindedly on his chin. After a moment of this position, he broke into a grin, and with a snap of his fingers, chirped, "I know! Jimmy!" He reached back and grabbed his ponytail, dragging it over his shoulder to pet it like an evil genius would a cat. "I'll call him Jimmy!"

Suddenly Takuya jumped to his feet and dashed over to Koji, a hand reaching out towards him with a determined expression. His quick movement startled the…chipmunk-evolved Koji, and he gave a small squeak as he fled from the Warrior of Flame, shouting at the very top of his lungs as he did so, "Jimmy! Hide!" _So, this was kinda how I acted when I was sugar-high. Man, I was a _bonkura_._

"But I wanna _pet _him!" Takuya whined like he was going to cry if Koji didn't stop and let him play with his hair. Every time he reached out to grab it, Koji was just barely out of his grasp; apparently he was capable of exceeding his normal speed when he was running around a rectangular-ish counter. "I'll cry!" Chikushou_ mind-reading thing. Of course, _that's_ how I know this kind of _kuso_._

Koji let out a small 'eeekk!' despite Takuya's threat to start wailing, and snatched up a pear from a tray he'd rushed past, turning to chuck it at his friend when he stopped for a half second. However, Takuya took the fruit to the face in a different way than Koji had planned, and grinned after it fell to the floor with a splat. As a reply, Koji received a raw slab of hamburger meat to his face, the seasoned beef hitting his face with a loud smack.

That kind of behavior went on between them for a while, with me in between the two of them as their little food fight grew into a food _war_. I learned after at least four blasts of cherries and three meat-bombs to the head that I'd have to duck after every three seconds or so. The two crazed boys had made little forts on each side of the kitchen, and had collected all the food I didn't need for making my potato cakes onto their side of the battlefield. Every now and then I'd get smacked in the head with a radish thrown by Takuya, or an orange thrown by Koji, and the both of them would get their attacks chucked right back at them. The second time that happened, I was pretty sure I'd cracked one of their skulls open, but figured they were okay when I heard the insane laughter start up again.

After what seemed like a whole week of that, the potato cakes I'd been making (I realized a few minutes _after _they were done that I was supposed to have been making burgers. _Kuso_.) were finally out of the oven and cooling on the counter, the delicious heat rising up from them making my mouth water, though I felt that if I ate anything I was sure to hurl it right back up. _Eating is for the weak. You shall be powerful without it, Toshiku. Listen only to the darkness, it will satisfy all that you require._

The voice was starting to replace any thoughts that I would've otherwise had to myself, each one seeming to grow louder and louder, each clearer than the last. She was coming; I didn't need to be able to hear her to know that. Each day, I grew colder and number, the urge to draw my D-Tector or force the data upon my fists becoming so much more tempting each time I felt the device tapping against my leg. The sound of blood dripping from a rotting corpse was starting to become something I wished to know the true echo of. It was growing into something I wasn't familiar with; however, I continued to convince myself that I was just starting to get sick, it wasn't anything to worry about. My instincts knew that Digimon had incredible immune systems, and I would be able to heal faster as Wereraiomon or Raveamon. That was all this was.

But I couldn't help but fear the unknown, nonetheless. The same couldn't be said for the two hyper morons, who were completely covered from head to toe in fruit, meat, vegetable particles, I could smell a bit of Worcestershire sauce on one of them (I wasn't about to ask), and every other food or food byproduct you could think of. But they looked happy, and I wasn't about to rob them of that feeling by saying how incredibly dumb they looked simply standing beside me, each one of them clinging to one of my arms with one of the potato cakes in their mouths, the two of them attempting to give compliments one the food, but it was muffled and inaudible so it sounded more like they were chipmunks. Walnut, puffy cheeks, and all.

After a few seconds of them holding on to me, a sudden rage flashed through my body and I shoved the two away from me, their heated essences leaving me reluctantly. The sensation was similar to being torn apart from something that has been sewn onto your body, like you were making a shirt or something while attempting to wear it, and you drove the needle into your own skin while stitching it all together. Think of tearing it away, and that was how hard and painful it was to get them away from me. I wanted to feel alive again, but I hated the heat now. Any warmth…it was torture to this coldness now.

Takuya gave me a look that asked, 'Who crapped in your cornflakes?' but he remained silent for another three seconds before beaming again and shouting to Koji, who just so happened to be standing right next to him and smacked him for being so loud as soon as he was through speaking, "Hey, buddy, why don't you and me go ask one of those cute little dudes if they've got leaking water we can use so we don't smell like my friend's room for the rest of the week?"

"Okie do…kie, sounds like a…plan to…me!" Koji exclaimed with fervor after hitting his friend, forgetting half of his words as he began to come up out of his sugar/whatever Takuya gave him induced stupor. It was honestly hard to believe that this person had once been a calculating, clear-headed, warrior of a boy, but with one Red Bull and a bit of Nyquil could be turned into a momentary _bonkura_. "I like soap," The Warrior of Light grinned as if he were telling someone about his little crush, except for the fact that he'd enforced the reality that he…loved me. Or, at least what he thought was love.

The both of them raced out of the room in search of a few of the burger-Digimon who hadn't even mentioned their names to us once, finally leaving me alone in the quiet to think over many things that had been absent in my thoughts. I had to make sure that I kept to myself the things that were most important, most confusing, etc. All that would do for the others would make them ask more questions than they already did, and having to think of answers to all of those inquires would only irritate me and cost me more of the patience that I didn't have.

I wasn't sure if Koji had truly meant what he said from his heart, or if this was just some kind of effect from the addition of Nyquil and Red Bull to his system, but either way it still posed as a problem. Well, sort of; there was a risk, a great one. It was hard not to notice that all of those that I cared about at all had been taken from me, and sentenced to death without option. All that I once had grown used to, begun to feel the true cheer for, it was all gone, everything and everyone. It always left me right when it would hurt the most.

Love wasn't something that was good for anyone; all it did was cause pain, make people weak, and terrify them from making a stand and showing who they truly were to anyone that struck them as different from any other being. Love made you lose sight of what was important in life, and past hurt could cause you to trip, stumble, and make a traumatizing mistake when you've actually found the one that you were always destined to be with in the first place. But after that mistake, your destiny is changed and you're no longer meant to be with anyone. Condemned to solitude for eternity.

In solitude, there was peace and quiet, you could think and plan. You could solve all of the problems that you couldn't with others because of all the noise the beating of other hearts made. Serenity and power existed in the lone warriors, the wolves that had no pack, no family. Nothing but the full moon to howl away their depression, sadness, and impending loneliness with. They could feel nothing, because feeling wasn't worth the pain.

I could hear the splashing of water and the constant _thump_ of bars of soap being thrown at other humans, and couldn't repress a sigh of aggravation at the insane, ecstatic laughter erupting from the two boys that had once been semi-respectable Legendary Warriors. Though Takuya had a fair amount of growing to do before I would ever be able to give him respect straight to his face, though it was only right to offer it to him in the form of addressing him as a Warrior of Flame.

Koji, on the other hand, was certainly a decent Warrior; there was no doubt in my mind about that. He was truly valiant, and wonder of the Digital World, though the works of his mind could use a tuning that only a touch of darkness in your soul could give you. The strength of the element existing within him was far too powerful and was able to defend him from any form of darkness whatsoever. No matter what it was or who it came in the form of, there was nothing that could penetrate that wall of such brightness. 'Invincible' came to mind pretty quickly.

But words were meaningless and forgettable; while some thought that they were helpful, they only did harm. _Speaking of being unhelpful._ Even my thoughts grumbled irritably, my slight fever rising as Koji and Takuya entered the room again. In nothing but their boxers (I assumed it was because the Digimon had convinced them to wash their clothes too, and they were currently drying). I'd never seen either of them so happy—or shameless. Neither of the Legendary Warriors seemed at all bothered that there was a girl here to see them in their underwear, but then again, it was pretty obvious that they didn't exactly care right at that moment; they were far too busy trying to escape from their imminent boredom. At first they tried to do that by devouring some of the potato cakes, but that wasn't enough to keep the overly-ecstatic guys occupied for very long.

"We're going outside," They chipped over to me as Koji skipped like a merry little school boy out the door, hiding something from my sight by holding it out before him. A grin that was similar to that of someone who had just cracked the government's secret code to get into the ammunition room shot across Takuya's face as he followed Koji outside, also snatching a box up from the ground near him, but being sure that I didn't see anything of it besides the light brown siding. "Don't wait up, 'cause we might be out there for a while with all this…um, 'entertainment'." _…O…kay…_

I couldn't do anything more than rest up against the counter, wondering for a half second where the others could possibly be as the saloon-similar doors swung closed behind the Warrior of Flame. But the slight worry for the absent Legendary Warriors was short-lived and barely meant anything to me besides another pain in my neck and mind. It was only instinct that told me that I would have to go out and find them myself if they didn't come back soon, after all they were important to the Digital World's surviva—

My footing slipped and I went crashing onto the floor with a thump when a sudden deafening _BOOM _went off, the nuclear-bomb-like sound close enough to have happened just outside this very restaurant. Another volley of alike, but slightly quieter explosions rang out into the dark, starlit night; since I was already on the ground it didn't catch me off guard. The knowledge that I had no idea what the hell that was was beginning to piss me off, enough that I even snarled slightly as I stood.

As a few more of the loud bangs rang out into the night, I moved over to the window with a pinch of caution to my steps, but as soon as I glanced out the window I knew that I'd let my fevered mind get the best of me. There, outside in the middle of the dirt road were Takuya and Koji, running around a huge circle of fireworks (What was obviously in those boxes) in their boxed while screaming their heads off. After staring for a few more seconds, I mentally rolled my eyes at the two before returning to the counter next to the delicious-smelling potato cakes that I just couldn't bring myself to eat.

My mind fled from the room subsequent to only moments, wandering back to Koji's words of sentiment and fluff, but I didn't recall the words, only how he'd seemed right then. Guilty. So guilty. But what for? That was all I wished to realize right now, and I would've given absolutely anything to know. The want stung like hornets, burned within me like acidic blood, pained me like knives. There was nothing that Koji could possibly have done to act so worried about anything; I couldn't understand.

He hadn't said anything that wasn't true, and his past words of not needing me here had already been forgotten by him. We'd moved past that, though they were still so fresh in my mind it was like I could still hear him saying it. Nothing could possibly have gone on between us that could be bothering him, I'd tried my best to stay apart from him for the past couple of days (With no success, may I add). Chotto matte_, JP said something about him and Zoe talking; what could that mean?…Has she…? Did he…? _Dono yo na seiko_ could they have been conversing about…?_

My brain pounded with everything that could've been said. Anything that could've been done. But all that came to mind was shrouded in black, covered and twitching with the darkness swirling around my head like smoke. It contorted the images until I could barely even stand to feel the pain any longer. All I could see was snaps of Zoe's hand intertwined with Koji's, in his hair, touching his face.

I trembled at the feelings that being unable to escape the pictures gave me: Complete and utter agony, a kind I'd never encountered before in my life. This pain burned like a thousand miles of fire and kerosene all around me, the gasoline dripping from my clothing consumed with the orange, red, and yellow flickers. I pressed my palms against my head, trying to contain my emotions, attempting to control my mind, but I couldn't stop the dark deep from leaking into me. There was nothing that could stop it. Nothing to stop my pain; I had to fake every emotion now, every expression, just to keep anything from escaping me and making the others aware of whatever situation this was turning into. Light couldn't help me anymore, it couldn't stop this sickness.


	22. Chapter 20: Falling in the Black

I never thought that I'd get this far, and I'd like to thank everybody for sticking along for the bumpy ride. I'm pretty proud of this chapter, and I've been waiting for it for a long time. Duskmon finally shows up, and, not to ruin anything, but...you learn who that voice is. I've been itching to tell you guys that, and now I can. So, enough of my babbling, and enjoy the chapter! :)

* * *

Chapter 20: Falling in the Black

_The whole room was shrouded in darkness; the only light there was shining through the openings all over the strangely shaped caverns, mountains, and valleys. But it didn't do very well against the impending darkness that shadowed the entire region, giving it an eerie, blood-ridden appearance. Wherever there wasn't darkness, creatures that called the dark its Master crept from the walls like a gloom in the late evening sun. There was nowhere to get away from it. _

_No escaping the darkness._

_…_

A shadow of myself: Just who am I? Scanned horizons. A tragic mystery. You could've left me here, sealed inside the pod. No one would ever know the chaos control, control. My true identity. The power that is me.

…

_The angel looked from side to side, wondering to himself how he could possibly have woken up there when just a few hours ago he'd been in the sure embrace of the one he loved. A certain sensation spread over him whenever he was near, or far, from the keeper of his heart, and it was a true astonishment to him that the feeling of being quite far from her could possibly have failed to awaken him. But what puzzled him the most was where in the Digital World he could possibly be. _

_"Hello? Is anyone here?" He called out into the night—it could've easily been day, the heavy darkness was like a fog, and quite possibly could've been shielding the light of the sun from penetrating his cerulean gaze—his voice echoing on and on into the distance, but receiving not a peep in reply. Not even a pebble stirred in the scenery around him. There was nothing, and no one, around him. He was completely and utterly alone._

_But then he heard it breathing. _

_The winged Rookie Digimon turned slowly, his heart beginning to race as he scanned the area behind him for any sign of life whatsoever. But he saw nothing, only heard the heavy, wheezing breaths of another creature, though it didn't feel like a Digimon he knew quite well. There was a distinguished stink in the air that he knew quite well from watching over the Digital World's inhabitants and their scuttles, but it was so much stronger, almost intoxicating. It was the bouquet of wickedness. Evil, if you will._

_He shuddered, despite the warmth of the atmosphere around him, as the loud, nasally breathing gained the eminence of a voice. "Rookie…Rookie…" It repeated almost mockingly, the tone incredibly deep with unimaginable power dripping from it like a wet rag over a gaping wound. "Where do you hide your crowned jewel, Rookie? Under a stone, like most? Or held close to you in an embrace bound in place by the worthless emotions you have created for yourself in a pitiful attempt to rid yourself and another of the impending loneliness and solitude of a life of empty bliss?" The blonde angel turned this way, and that, but still could hear nothing but breathing, smell nothing but the rotting aroma of bloodlust, and see nothing but eerie, blood-stained darkness._

_The voice sounded again, this time much, much closer, now joined by the noise of what sounded like dripping water, though it was doubtful that what it was could possibly something so harmless and unimportant. The Digital Hazard knew better; it was the sound of pointed footsteps. And they were growing ever closer. "You know, Rookie, she will undermine you, one day. You do realize this, do you not? That your downfall is inevitable, and will be the work of her mind, her hands?" The appearance-less being's words stuck the uniquely haired Digimon like a sudden cold wind, whisking away the oxygen from his lungs with such ease, it were as if he were transparent, hollow. _

_The angel thought to himself, his face contorting in disbelief, though it was impossible to be able to tell word-for-word what he was pondering. He knew that his second-in-command could easily overthrow him, but such malevolence was not in her nature, for she was against fighting with every fiber of her being. There was no possible way that she would be tempted by power. But if she truly did stay for something like most did, then what could she want? Power? Respect? What could it be?_

…

With rouge in the fight, electric vibes. Change surroundings. A jewel in history. A treasure disappears as she goes. Miss her as we look away. And no one knows. The power is a key. The power changes me!

…

_A sudden realization struck him like a sharp, double-edged sword to the spinal cord: Of course she wanted his power. She wanted to be the one to rule the Digital World single-handedly. The one that he'd shared so many starlit evenings with had been plotting to stab him in the back since the day that he had met her. Everything that had been done, all that was said, it had all been a lie. _

_The angel fell to his knees, pond blue eyes filling with tears of depression and rage at this enlightenment. He could barely believe all that had been revealed to him, but there was no way that it couldn't be true. She had to be looking for a way to destroy him as he thought. While his heart still told him that there had to be another reason, and not to believe and follow this evil Digimon Lord, his mind had fallen to the unique power of the blackness. And there was no turning back anymore. _

_He knew, and could feel in his darkening heart, that the pain of the feelings he had once felt would never leave him in the peace of solitude. But there was a way to help it heal, make the pain of his heart become one that was bearable. It might not be enough, but it was something. And the pain of his enemy would be enough to satisfy him. For now._

* * *

"Go on, get out. Get lost—and wake that one up while you're at it."

I opened my eyes slowly, the movement feeling as if it weren't even mine though I knew that anything different was impossible. My head was so foggy and clouded that I could barely even remember where I was laying today, why I was in a train, where the hell I was. But then I remembered everything, and all the memories hit me like atom bombs, each making their own little scar in my heart: Getting the call, jumping on the train, arriving in the Digital World, finding WereGarumon, locating my Beast Spirit, kissing Koji, meeting Rowloamon and the Three, losing WereGarumon, learning about Shitsurenmon and my Ancient Spirit, and the illness that was starting to get the better of me. I wished that all of that _kuso_, along with that dream of the angel and the darkness, were all just illusions made up because of the peak my fever was starting to reach. The odd thing was that I was freezing my toes off.

I laid there completely motionless as the rest of the group argued with the Trailmon we were on—by the voice, I assumed that it was Franklin. Zoe started out the conversation with the Trailmon, though I could tell just by the tension in the air that this was a lost cause. "You can't do this," She said her shrill, shrill voice, sending a volley of chills up my spine as I tried to curl into the cushion of the train bench in search of some kind of heat. "We have Digi-Rail passes!"

I closed my eyes and tried to forget that there were other voices here, attempt to go back to the healing that sleep gave all creatures, but a faintly tender touch brushed my cheek, making my eyes snap open almost immediately. But I relaxed again when I saw who it was: The one who didn't even remember that he'd told me he loved me just yesterday, Koji Minamoto. It was clear that he and Takuya had no idea what had gone on the day before; they'd both passed out for a few hours before the others got back from wherever they'd gone, and by the time they woke up again they had absolutely no clue why they were in the middle of the floor in only their boxers. But I'd figured that it would be best that neither of them knew, for the sake of every living thing.

The look in the ravenette's crystal eyes was hard to decipher because of how much there was to see there in the deep blue abyss, but it wasn't very hard to see that what he had said while in his stupor had been true. Though, it was obvious that he'd never be able to say such a thing while 'sober'. It was how he was, and I didn't mind that; it actually made things much more difficult to comprehend about the whole him-and-Zoe situation. I didn't understand that: Why would he say he loved me and mean it if he was going around with another love? It didn't make any sense, and I couldn't seem to grasp the solution.

I felt so hopeless now; how did I ever fight through this without the numbing of the cold before? The bleakness wiped out all feelings, some that I was glad to be rid of, while others—for example, what I felt for Koji and my friends—were truly a sacrifice that I hadn't been willing or ready to make quite yet. I hadn't read the fine print of feeling nothing, and now there was nothing left to turn to except to keep going straight, further and further into the pit that I'd fallen into by my own will. There was no reason for anyone to try to save me from this new kind of abyss.

"Rough night, Toshiku?" Koji asked as he gently caressed my face with his fingertips, the affection and concern for my well-being evident in the cerulean eyes that could stop a war. His warmth continued to brush gently against my trembling skin, beginning to bring back a slight sensation of feeling into my cheek again, though it was barely noticeable and didn't last for much longer than a few seconds before everything faded back into the nothingness. The worry pooling like rain drops into small puddles in his eyes and even the way that he was touching me was much simpler to view when he realized the difference from only days ago to now. "You're so cold; you've always been so warm, but now you feel like ice. Do you feel okay?"

_I don't want to lie to you anymore. But I will. _"I'm fine, I'm just coming down with something. I'll be back to normal sometime soon. Don't worry about me, Koji." My voice wasn't as convincing as it needed to be to be able to fake decent health and mental stability, but it was enough to get Koji to understand that I wasn't going to be talking any more about this kind of thing, and that was all I needed. He needed to leave me alone, and go back to Zoe. I didn't want him here, and I had to make myself believe that. I didn't need anyone, or even want to have anything other than solitude. It was my given destiny, it had to be.

"Yeah, yeah, write it down, you'll sell millions," Franklin stated quite sarcastically at Zoe's prissy little I'm-special-so-it's-100%-illegal-to-get-rid-of-me-so-there comment about the passes. I was tempted to get up and whack her one upside the head, tell her that it was no use arguing with someone that had just carted you around without hardly a complaint, and to thank him for the lift and get the hell outta here before he started to head back to Hamburger Village and we'd have to walk all the way back out to this _chikushou _place, wasting more time that the Digital World barely had a grip on. But I didn't, and even if I did decide to, I wouldn't have gotten the chance since the next thing I knew, the car we were in opened up like a melted cardboard box and flung us out like a can opener opening a can of unattended tuna. "Look, if you wanna go, then go. I ain't stopping ya." I felt incredibly pissed not only at the fact that he raced off with hardly so much as a good-riddance after dropping us like a pair of dirty socks, but also that he'd gotten to hit Zoe over the head before I did. I could tell that he'd said something else, but as he rushed away the sounds blended together and I couldn't decipher it well enough to make it audible.

JP was the first to utter something other than moans and groans as I raised myself back onto my feet, my whole body feeling numb from the war of the cold chills and the burning fever inside me. It had started out just being something like an illness, but now that it had spread throughout my whole body, I knew that my previous theories had been incorrect, and now I had nothing but immense pain pelting me from all sides whenever I did so much as blink to go by. Though JP's statement only added to my already overwhelming confusion, "I'll admit, I've been dumped before, but never quite like that!" _Didn't see that freakin' coming…_

Everyone seemed to ignore JP's comment, so he technically wasn't the actual first to make a notable comment. Takuya, on the other hand, always—no matter how stupid or off-topic—seemed to be answered in some way. And, of course, he couldn't go one more moment without adding something that he thought a leader in his right mind might say right about now, "So, everyone in one piece?" _Well, I was. But then you spoke and I started ripping my head apart so I didn't have to hear you anymore. That would actually take care of a lot of problems…that's weird._

_And here comes Bieber's number one groupie. _Tommy was the next to struggle to his feet after Takuya and Koji, glancing at Koji (Of course) as he stood. His cheeks turned a light pink as he continued to gaze over at the ravenette unnoticed, but immediately turned to answer Takuya when that ponytail swished around to glare at him. "Yeah," He followed up the single word with a couple of fairly believable little grunts of pain, though if you'd been watching it was pretty obvious that they were all fake.

"Aren't there any normal Trailmon?" Zoe whined without even a hint of shame to the fact that she was so shrill and pathetic, that there was hardly anything in this world that hadn't gotten its share of chances to knock her over backwards, and there had almost never been a time that she'd had to be the one to save one of us. She was so weak it made part of me laugh inside. But there was no way that I would utter a laugh when it was so cold; I needed all the oxygen I could get right now. There was no telling what was going to happen, and I had to be ready for whatever it was.

As if to test the strength of the short silence that had crossed paths with us, Takuya turned to find the white vegetable, and called out his name with a tone that wondered if the three-fingered Digimon had ditched us along with Franklin, "…Bokomon?" _What did Seraphimon say about Bokomon anyways? He said something about the book…but I can't remember what he said…_Shimatta_…_

Everything seemed to go inconceivably quiet as Bokomon glanced from the dark horizon back to Takuya and the rest of the group, as if he were pondering whether or not it was really a good idea to inform them, or any of us, of the name of this curse-apparent place. But, in the end, the belief that he was here to aid in the growth of the knowledge of living things won out, and he told us with a hint of remorse and fear to his voice, "…Welcome to the Dark Gate," _Welcome to your home, Toshiku. The black is happy to surround you…_

Gasps erupted out of everyone like the black fog spews out of an active volcano, except for me, that is. The name of this new region barely seemed to shake me from the cold/fever 'battle' going on within me hardly at all. It was like there wasn't even anyone around me. "The temple-like structure behind you is the Dark Gate, through it lays…the Continent of Darkness." Bokomon explained further, earning a few more gasps out of Neemon and a few of the others (Neemon was extraordinarily loud like always, and was the only one that I heard quite clearly).

JP's voice cracked slightly as he asked, mainly inquiring about his fears to himself since hardly anyone besides me was listening, not that I would've even tried to answer him if my lips and tongue would have been obeying my own weak will. "Why do I get the feeling that's not a good thing?" _Possibly because it isn't, dear Thunder Bug. None of you mortals have any idea of what awaits you. _

"Is it as bad as it sounds?" Zoe asked, a typical kind of question for one such as her, even though all she really did was rephrase JP's self-inquire to fit her own persona. But it was a simple thing to do; however, I still couldn't stand her. I wanted so badly to go up and punch her in the nose or send another kick into the side of her head again, but without a proper motive for such a thing, that action would only give Koji more of a reason to continue his 'affair' with her._ Why must you ponder decisions while the rest of the world is steadily decaying and becoming shrouded in dust? You will be dead before you even meet your doom!_

Bokomon closed his small, ash-black eyes as he found a way to answer both of their similar questions, though there was still hidden parts of their inquiries that he missed, leaving openings for more questions to be created as he finally spoke again, "I wish I could tell you, but to be honest, I have no idea what awaits us there," His tone took a slow turn into the darkness itself as he began to explain it, showing us where the name evidentially came from. "It's an eerie land, shrouded in utter darkness. But the dangers it holds are as legendary as its mysteries." _And somehow, there are so many still here to explain: The darkest hour never comes in the night, darlings. It comes whenever you are at your most vulnerable…_

JP and Zoe walked up to Bokomon, followed by everyone else only a few moments afterward. It was almost as if everyone was in a synchronized motion that I had once been a part of, but had only recently fallen out of, tumbling into my own unorganized mess. "There's gotta be something written in the book about it." JP stated, reasoning with Bokomon through one sentence for him to open up the dying-grass-green book and look up anything he could to calm all of their nervous fears.

Without even opening his eyes, Bokomon pulled out the book without any hesitation, though his aura held a confidence that there would be nothing more explained in it than he had already told us. That even what he had said wasn't in the book. "Well, let's take a look, shall we? Continent of Darkness, Chapter Twelve." Flipping the book open with barely a flick of any of his three little claw-fingers, he held it out for us to see.

"Woah, it's pitch black." Takuya exclaimed, his voice, however, holding a sort of hushed-ness that silenced him slightly. Everyone seemed to be just as shocked as him at the blackness of it, the hue even darker than the shadows that existed in the latest hours of a winter night. The chill of such a time seemed to fill the air around me as the words stuck my ears, sending a sudden, indescribable amount of fear throughout me. I realized something vital: If there was nothing about the Continent of Darkness, who was to say that there was anything else in that book?

I'd never looked at it with my own eyes, at least not closely. How was I, or anyone else for that matter, to know if Bokomon was really telling us the truth about all of this? How were we supposed to be able to tell if he were lying to us, all in the hopes of leading us to our own demises? My sudden phobia of Bokomon and the book that he currently held compelled me to snatch the book up out of his hand without any warning to the white Digimon whatsoever and begin flipping through the partially stained pages. Takuya had been correct; there was nothing but the hue of the night on the pages of Chapter Twelve. However, I found it quite odd that if there was nothing recorded about this place at all, why the pages weren't blank, but black. Almost as if someone had intentionally blotted out anything about this place so that no one could learn anything but the mysteries and horrendous stories full of fear and madness about the region.

"How come?" Tommy wondered aloud as I continued to page madly through the book, still finding nothing but the inky-blackness covering up all the information that might be necessary to our survival if we were to go within that place. The young boy tried to stand on his toes so that he could glimpse at the pages with me, but I paid no mind to him. I could feel the gazes of Zoe and Koji boring into me as my mind raced, the feverishness and the chills clouding my mind till I could barely even tell which inks were symbols and which shades were the hues hiding the information.

"It appears that there is really no first-hand information on this place," I could barely hear Bokomon any more as I paged rapidly through the book, nearly tearing a few of the pages in my panic-like haste. The only reason I stopped my crazed search for some kind of information to prove that Bokomon wasn't making up some of the things he'd told us about this world was Takuya's gloved hand reaching out and gently caressing mine, telling me without words to listen to the white Digimon, and that it would be okay. But I didn't understand how he could think that when he didn't even know why I was acting so frantic: What if Bokomon and Neemon were in cahoots with the entity in my head? "Many a brave Digimon have ventured within, but it seems none of them have returned to tell of its secrets. Only the foolhardy would dare enter the Continent of Darkness. We'll have to find another route to the Rose Morning Star."

Takuya took his hand away from mine, taking the faint warmth—it was slightly stronger than the warmth that Koji's touch held since he was the Warrior of Flame after all—with him as he stated in his usual attempt-at-a-leader-that-knows-just-the-right-thing-to-do voice, "But the shortest route is straight ahead! Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?" Bokomon didn't seem to agree with him, nor did anyone else. Although, Bokomon's distaste for Takuya's words came out as utter surprise, mainly in the loud exclaim of a, 'Huh?'.

A deafening thunder echoed from far off in the distance, the sound seeming to come from the land of darkness only a few meters away from us, it would only take a few minutes if one of us to run over to the gate. I could almost feel the static in the air from the lightning that should have been accompanying the explosion-similar sound, though I wasn't expecting to be zapped by the verre collar—namely the Verre of Thunder—instead of actually seeing any of said lightning. I was just happy that the intense electricity that rippled through me hadn't scorched the blackened book that still lay open in my palms.

My fingers moved to flip through the pages again, but hesitated when I recalled how frantic I had become only minutes before and how I probably would've kept going and going until the tips of my fingers had begun to bleed if Takuya hadn't stopped me. Glancing up at said brunette, I caught his gaze and he gave me a slight nod, as if to tell me, 'Okay, go ahead'.

Returning to the blank book laying serenely in my palms, I tried to get a grip on myself as I took another page's edge in my fingers and flipped it, but found only what I had on all the others: Nothing but black that shouldn't have been there. But as I was about to close the book and hand it back to Bokomon, I could've sworn I saw something move on the very page I was on. Most times when you think you see something that cannot possibly be there, you get the hell away from that place as fast as you possibly can. But I couldn't seem to help myself, and opened the book back up.

Knowing that I had seen something, I waited in silence as the others began casting votes on if we were going to be going into the Dark Continent or not. As I continued to stare at the pages, I saw that the black itself was moving, transforming itself into print, but not what was usually in the book. I could actually read it; it was no longer written in the Digimon language, whatever it was. But what it morphed into wasn't what I was hoping to find. I couldn't even bring myself to read all of it, only a few parts here and there, and that was all I could bear.

It had been about someone who had been possessed by a dark, dark entity, and that spirit had forced its host to murder all those who came near them, so he ended up killing all those who he held most dear. After realizing what he had done, after realizing that he would forever be alone, he had killed himself, hoping quietly that the spirit within him would die with him. But as he stabbed himself in the chest, the ghoul escaped his soul, and he died knowing that this fate would befall someone else. The chain would never end, and the blood would never stop pouring.

A chill suddenly rippled through me as one thought reared its head in my mind, the words freezing my blood in mere moments. _I'm next. I'm next. _I knew I wasn't sick, I couldn't be sick. But I had to be; ghosts weren't real, they weren't logical hardly at all. Not that I was one to be logical, but I had never been the type to believe in such things. Here in the Digital World, however, there were Spirits, but they couldn't posses you. You could transform into them, and use their power, but they couldn't turn on you. In this form, they couldn't completely act on their own…Could they?

"Well, we took a vote—" Kuso_, I just missed all that. And for nothing but some stupid horror story put into Bokomon's book by the same_ rokudenashi _that blotted out all the information._ "—Motion carried," Bokomon made a sound as if he were going into labor because of Takuya's words. I would've backed him up somehow if I had known what the hell everyone was talking about, and if my mouth had even been working right then. "Move out!" _…Okay…_

Since everyone had already started to head towards the Dark Gate, I figured that I may as well go along with the notion of heading straight into our doom and trek with them for as long as possible. I was supposed to protect them, after all. AncientRaiafemon had given her word to Baiirmon, saying that she would protect the Ten Legendary Warriors, but she wasn't here to do that any longer. So, that meant I was next in line to attempt to fill her shoes. I was the heir to the endless duty of guarding the saviors of the Digital World.

But I stopped and half-glanced back into the bright light of the everlasting sun of the Digital World while Bokomon clearly stated his fear of this place, though he didn't point it out directly in his words. "But what about me and Seraphimon's egg?" I wanted to punch myself in the nose for acting like such a coward; how could I have been so blind to how everyone else must've been feeling about this place? Something was getting its claws so deep into me that it was starting to pull me away from them, even though right by their side was where fate said I belonged. I had to try harder to fight…whatever was making me so sick.

Besides, everyone else seemed fine and dandy, all of them in perfect/as-good-as-they're-going-to-get health. Which meant that I was the only one being struck by it, I was the only one that this illness wanted weakened. There was something happening, and it was only occurring within me. It had to stay that way. And the only way to show this disease, this thing that couldn't even tell the difference between one human and another, that I was the strong one here, and the one that it would benefit the most from, was to remain with the others and guard them from anything that meant harm. Despite everything, I had to rely on myself now. I was alone, and I would remain that way till the end.

"Bokomon," I called to him, only half-facing him though my eyes were as concentrated on him as they would be if I were staring directly into his eyes from only a few centimeters away. I wasn't sure if he could hear the small hint of uncertainty for not only the book that he had returned to his pink waistband, and not for the eerie land before us, but for myself and my own loyalty to protecting the Digital World instead of destroying it like so many others had fallen into the habit of doing, but if he did, he didn't show anything pointing to it. "I swore to you once that I would help you save this world, and by promising so I've also got to protect you, since you are part of it. And Seraphimon…he is one of the last hopes of the Digital World. I'd give my life to save that egg. Now, come on. I'll even let you ride on my shoulder."

* * *

I had no idea how long we'd been walking for, but I knew it had to have been at least a few hours, at the very least about four. We were deep within the Continent of Darkness now; not even a hint of light could be seen anywhere. Not emitting from Koji's aura, and nowhere in the skies. Nothing but the soullessness of the black. Though, for some reason it didn't bother me quite as much as it would have at the very beginning of this whole charade. That either meant I was less afraid of the unknown, or something was very, very wrong with me. I didn't feel like finding out quite yet, to be brutally honest.

The dark silence of the night was shattered by whimpers emitting from Zoe and Tommy, the both of them exerting their fear in a way that stirred the night into realizing that we were here. We had to remain as shadows like the rest, or I knew that somehow, someway, something was going to find us. Something evil like Lucemon, something unnoticeable at first, but then like a siren when it lashed out with silence and stole you into the shadow on the outskirts of the light. Suffocating you slowly with your own agony. A shudder coursed down my spine at my own thoughts, and I sent a 'shhh' at them to avoid such a fate.

But the quiet didn't have very much time to restore itself, since Tommy chose to interrupt it yet again with a question most everyone in this group had thought of, but didn't want voiced. "I'm wondering, do you think Digimon could somehow end up being ghosts?" A demonic little grin crossed my lips, ignored by the Warriors since they didn't have eyes in the backs of their heads and couldn't see me. All I could think of was that blood-stained wolf-ghoul that had been in the train with Koji and me a few days ago. _It must've murdered quite a few Digimon to end up trapped between the dimensions._ But Bokomon noticed the smile and seemed quite disturbed, and even surprised by it.

Zoe obviously didn't like thinking about that topic one little bit. And I couldn't help but start to think of ways to make her leap right out of her skin. "What kind of talk is that? Next you'll start telling ghost stories!" _If I could remember any right now, I'd tell you the darkest, most horrifying one that I know, _subeta_. You're lucky that I'm all fogged up and can barely think straight. _

If Zoe talked, then her obsessed nuisance of an imaginary boyfriend couldn't stop himself from making some kind of comment. Knowing this rule like the back of his hand, JP spoke up in an eerie sort of voice, "It was a dark, and stormy night…but luckily there was this great guy who was waiting to come to your rescue!"_ It started out alright, but ended up as _kuso _with that little chirp at the end. But then again, what was I expecting him to do? Really horrify her? I wish!_

Since no one else was going to, I decided it was my turn to make a comment that might actually shut them up a decent amount of time. "But it would wind up being a worthless effort though, because there was an agitated werewolf ready to gobble them all up if anyone said another word." _That_ got their mouths to close, and earned me a slight glare from Koji. I could tell by his gaze alone that he was puzzled at my mood swings and constant silence unless it was to say something either rude or threatening. I would be lying if I said anything about knowing why I was doing it.

Suddenly, an unexpected wind howled and whistled through the trees around us, giving the woods the appearance of hiding something, something that was ready to jump out of the shadows like a snake of smoke, clutch you in its jaws, injecting you with antidote-less venom as it dragged you back into the forests to devour you whole. Or, as Tommy, Zoe, and Bokomon put it as they rushed away in all directions from the sound of the wind, "It's the werewolf!" _…Whoever decided my fate and stuck me with these _bonkura_s has got one _hell_ of a sense of humor._

I turned from them to keep trekking forward, keeping fresh in my mind that it would be best for all of us if we got to the Rose Morning Star as fast as we possibly could, even though the dark here was quite inviting, almost begging you to come and join it. I contemplated leaving the path to join the heart chilling blackness when I felt a disturbance deep inside myself, almost forcing me to turn an behold a sight I'd never imagined I'd see.

Zoe was clinging to Koji tightly, for fear of being picked off by a deranged werewolf. However, it wasn't her closeness to him that made me want to rip her apart limb from limb and watch with extreme satisfaction as her blood poured from her severed veins, dripping silently onto the ground. It was the fact that Koji's face was redder than I could ever remember seeing it. It was that he seemed to be enjoying the closeness of the two of them just about as much as I hated it. _I…I can't believe it. He really is having an affair with her. Why didn't I see that coming? I could've done something to stop it, I could've tried to repair the barricade around me, try to protect myself from the pain—_

My thoughts were interrupted by JP letting out a very irritated growl and shouting down at Bokomon, "Stop acting like my Aunt Mabel's dog!" He'd jumped from my shoulder when the winds had blown, and had had so much force backing him in his leap that he had knocked the now pissed off Warrior of Thunder on his face.

"Aunt Mabel's dog would've turned tail and gone by now!" Bokomon retorted with as much force as he had had when he'd made the jump from me to JP. His face was so scrunched up with fear that you could've had a whole battle in front of him and he would've have noticed a thing until he opened his eyes and saw either you or the enemy laying unconscious there on the ground before him. Little Miss Orimoto over by the Warrior of Light made a frightened little sound as if she had never known a dog to abandon someone out of fear. _If you had a dog, it would have run away the first chance it had, 'Warrior'._

Takuya let out a small, almost inaudible growl of aggravation for all of this cowardice among the Warriors before exclaiming with all of his frustration unmasked in his voice, "We're not going back! We've all been walking for hours!" I could hardly believe I was, but I had to admit that I was on Takuya's side for the long-haul here. If nobody else was going to get off their _oshiri_s and get moving, I knew for a fact that Takuya and I would end up being the only two actually continuing through this place.

But his words did nothing to encourage Bokomon to just shut up about all of this, keep going, and at least try to set a decent example for the unhatched egg that I had a feeling could hear us pretty frickin' well through the thin shell. Not that it really mattered anyways. The thing would end up being Seraphimon in the end anyways. For all we know, he might not even remember any of this at all. _Maybe that's why the evil Warriors can't get the egg. They could teach Seraphimon's younger forms the paths of evil, showing him in their own twisted way that it's actually the good way. _"Let's walk _back_ a few hours, and then we can all get ourselves out of this poor excuse for a dark closet once and for all!"

With a heavy, irritated sigh that was much easier to note than Takuya's had been, I stated with a thick hint of icy rage in my voice, my exasperation for not having gotten very far in these past few hours showing to be quite obvious now, "We've already decided that we're going to take the route through the Dark Continent to get to the Rose Morning Star. I would've already gone on without you, but seeing as I can't, you'd better pick up the pace before night comes and total darkness sets in. Now, do I have to—"

"Starting with the threats again, Toshiku?" The fact that Zoe didn't know when to shut her trap for more than a few minutes didn't help my aching body and mind at all. If the other Warriors and the two little Digimon (Speaking of them, Neemon had been exceptionally quiet) weren't here, there wouldn't have been a Warrior of Wind for much longer than three seconds. "I'm starting to think that something's even more wrong than usual with you—" _She's lucky that I'm not feeling like a billion bucks today, or else one more word out of her would've been her very last._

I was about to my last half of a nerve when I heard my self being to shout, no longer caring what Seraphimon's egg heard or didn't hear (There really was no way to know for sure that he could hear us at all, so why even bother watching your words?). If he hatched and started shouting a bunch of vulgar, then we'd know who he'd been listening to a lot of the time. "Will you shut the—"

Almost as if he were decently afraid to get in the middle of a verbal fight between the two girls of the group, Tommy hesitantly inched forward and brought up something that I wouldn't have noticed until after Zoe was on the ground with a distant look in her eyes, "H-Hey guys? Something's glowing…" After seeing that he had everyone's attention for once, he pointed to a group of trees out in front of us. There were all kinds of eerie greenish-yellow lights dotted all around the trees, almost like they were in a small clearing. The tracks we were following headed directly towards them.

"Fireflies?" Hopeful-As-Almost-Always JP suggested with a small croak of said optimism in his voice, though a sharp glance from me killed that feeble emotion like a shoe crushes the tiniest ant on a sidewalk heading towards an unseen cliff. There was no possible way that it was something quite so harmless as fireflies. If we were lucky, it would only end up being some kind of psychotic Digimon, and not a fleet on its way to assist Cherubimon's main fiends.

Despite how clever he'd been in previous situations, Koji seemed to have been dumbed down by the darkness. Apparently his element affected his brain capacity. "Maybe there's a town up ahead." I wasn't completely sure about my theory, but I had a gut feeling that if the colors in this situation had been switched around, and the light had become the dark, he would've thought twice before saying something about that 'town'.

I have glanced at him before trying my best to reign in my annoyance of even his guess of what the glow could've been made by. I never wanted to snap at him this badly before, and I couldn't wrap my mind around the reason why. "Think about that, Koji. In a place like this, there wouldn't be a town. That's probably a group of Digimon heading off to Cherubimon's headquarters. It would be best if we just avoided that place. Even if it is a town, how are we supposed to know if they're actually on our side or not?" My voice had still been clearly incensed by his assumption, but it came out a bit less cold, a little more like myself.

For me being in the state of mind that I was currently in and not really having a full grasp on all that was going on, I thought that it had ended up being a pretty reasonable statement. But, apparently, it didn't suite the tastes of the Warrior of Wind. "For someone who fights so much, you act like a coward when it comes to stuff like this—" _Do you ever listen to yourself? If I only had a penny for every stupid word or phrase that came out of your _kusoimaimashii_ mouth…_

My nerves shattered, I clenched my fists and turned to face the blonde that I'd been dying to kill ever since she'd first laid eyes on Koji in the way that she'd now grown into the habit of always using when she even caught a simple peek at the ravenette. "_Shatto o daun_! Just…" Suddenly quieted by something deep, deep inside of me, my thoughts cleared for a short moment, only long enough to wonder why I was really acting like this. It couldn't be just a bad cold. I remembered that whenever I was sick back home when my family was still around, I slept for most of the day, only waking to puke up anything that was in my stomach. I hadn't done that at all, but how was I supposed to know if this was even something that would do that to me? What if it was something different?

But I knew…somewhere in my head, I knew that this wasn't an illness. There was something very, very wrong, and I had no idea what it could be. Something was being harbored within me, and it was endangering the Warriors and the mission that the eleven of us had been given: Save the Digital World, whatever it takes. If my Beast Spirit didn't find something soon, then I'd have to find a way to make sure that the goal was fulfilled. The only problem was how I was going to manage that when I could barely manage my usually decently mannered temper. "Just shut up, alright? Go toward that light if you want, but I'm staying as far away as possible. There's really no telling what's going on…" _Please, please, please, do everything you can to help me, Wereraiomon. I can't take much more of this without hurting someone, and that's out of the question._

The blonde warrior seemed absolutely stunned by my words (Probably the lack of foul ones, to be completely honest), but they didn't exactly have an impact on her, even if I'd planned for them to. They were only to keep her quiet for now, maybe get her thinking about how there was something going on, because she seemed to be the only one that didn't show any sign of noticing the differences in my actions over the previous couple of days. It didn't seem to do the trick, however.

She turned with a prissy little 'Hmph!' before walking away from me in the royal princess way that she had. The rest of the group exchanged a couple of confused expressions before shrugging to themselves and proceeding to follow her towards the ghoulish lights before us. And, even though I truly would've preferred to make my own path through the foliage and let them face the consequences of their choice, a nagging voice in my head (Not the one that had been tainting my thoughts for the past few days. The other one: My oddly quiet conscience) insisted that I followed them, or at the very least stayed close enough that I could lend a hand if they were in need of assistance if I'd been correct about the fleet of evil Digimon. Mumbling vulgar at my conscience's decision, I reluctantly obeyed and began to trek along behind them, my hands shoved in my pockets so my fingers would actually heat up instead of growing colder and colder each time I moved. It was like I was running out of energy to even keep myself warm.

The silence that had settled around us was deafening, and it was hard to concentrate on moving one foot in front of the other, one of the simplest things to do after having done so for over twelve years. I faltered with a few of my steps, letting out a small grunt with the effort of trying to get my feet to step the way that my mind knew they had to so I wouldn't wipe out with absolutely nothing in my path to blame for falling. But I regained my composure after a few more stumbling steps, and tried desperately to forget that that had happened, or that JP and Takuya had glanced back at me, curious to know what all of the commotion had been about.

When we got to the plot of land that had been casting off the glow, I couldn't help but want to say, '…That's it? Seriously?'. All that it was happened to be a large glob of glowing moss that seemed quite out of place among all of the dead-looking trees. While the others conversed about whether they should pick it up and bring it along to light the path with or not, I stared at the faint-light-radiating plant only a meter or two away from the tips of my shoes. For whatever reason, I didn't want any of that stuff by me. I didn't want to be seen in the darkness, especially not in a night like this. In this kind of black, it was dark for a reason: So anything and everything in it wouldn't be seen. Since we were here, and would be for a while, it would be best if we followed such a code. But I doubted that the others would listen to an opinion that was phrased like that.

Each member of the group (Other than me, obviously) grabbed a chunk of the moss before we headed out in silence again. I tried my best to stay back as far as I could like I always seemed to do when I followed the group anywhere. But, unlike all of those times, this distance wasn't only so that I could get a good look at everything around the little troupe or so that I would be the first attacked if something were to come up from behind. This was so I would have time to attempt to think before I ended up doing something rash.

Even from this far away, I could still just barely see a few yards ahead of the others due to the 'lights' that they were carrying. There was a large, almost perfectly formed cave carved into the side of the rock wall before us. But I didn't get to pay much attention to it. Almost as soon as the others before me had stopped to observe the cave in front of them, a black figure rushed by through the trees, almost too close for comfort. Even though the creature was already gone, my heart was racing and blood was rushing all around my brain. I couldn't stop myself from instantly breaking into a sprint, jumping and dodging trees and other kinds of vegetation after the shadowy form.

I could hear Neemon shout something after me, probably something along the lines of, 'Where are you going?' but I didn't consider slowing down in the least bit for another couple of minutes. I switched to a brisk jog after having run at full speed for quite some time; I had no idea how far away from the Trailmon tracks I'd gotten, and I really didn't even care. I was away from all kinds of light, and my mind felt clearer than it ever had before. But then the fogginess hit me again like an atom bomb, coming on like a brick wall. The force of it was enough to knock me to the ground like I'd just rammed into something head-on.

However, a heavy cloud over my head wasn't all that hit me. After a few seconds of sitting on the soft, cool dirt, my head began throbbing as if my forehead had been, or was going to bruise. Smog in my thoughts wouldn't have caused immediate physical harm, only something with a physical form could do such a thing. I'd actually _run into_ something _like_ a brick wall. The very thought of it chilled me to the bone and beyond; I couldn't even hear the thing breathing.

I looked up slowly, partially wary of seeing the being that I'd hit, and being able to note the anger in its expression for me having smacked into it in the first place. After practically turning my face all the way up to the sky just to see the creature, I saw a pair of shining ruby-red eyes staring down at me. At first I didn't quite understand what I was really looking at, but under a more focused inspection, I saw that those red eyes belonged to a black skull.

The image was enough to make me leap to my feet and take a couple of precautionary steps backward. From this far away, in a dark as deep and lightless as this, I couldn't see anything of the one who stood before me, I could only picture the expressionless eyes that had stared at me without so much as a pupil within their makeup. But then, as my eyes adjusted even more to the lack of light, I saw that those eyes were only part of the being's armor, not the eyes themselves. Though the true eyes of the Digimon (At least I figured it was a Digimon) only a few yards away from me were a much bolder, brighter shade of red, and shimmered far more than those imprinted on the armor.

The majority of his armor consisted of different hues and pigments of gray and black, though not as dark as the seemingly endless night existing around the region for miles and miles. There was also a kind of pattern of black, red, black, red down his limbs as well, reminding me of bones. If you thought about it, he sorta looked like the more dangerous and much more powerful version of the Grim Reaper. Kinda. But that wasn't what I had my focus on.

There were eyes all over him. One on each of his shoulders, a huge one stretching across his chest, one in sockets over his knees, and even on the tips of his shoes. I couldn't help but stare at them instead of the two scarlet eyes in his head. …I just kept wondering if those eyes had any capability of functioning on their own, or if they were just for show—

I stopped thinking and proceeded to stupidly panic a bit when all of them focused and stared unblinkingly at me. No expression. No irises. No nothing. All they did was gaze at me as though they were about to leap right out of their places on his armor and try to gouge my eyes out to add to his collection. He already had nine to start himself out with. But staring like some kind of stalker that had just cornered his stalkee and wasn't quite sure what to do next because he hadn't planned on doing such a thing wasn't all he could do.

With a loud, heavy breath that told me without any words that there was something on his mind, the being before me in black armor stated quite calmly, though it was now clear to me whose side he was on, "You are Toshiku Yumari, the next heir for the Sentinel AncientRaiafemon, are you not?" He said it as if he were asking if I wanted a Milk Dud, not if I was in the line of the Moon Dwellers. But his description of me didn't stop there, and his monotone voice really didn't either, despite what he was talking about. "You came to this world on a Trailmon called Worm, and began one completely for the first time with your Human Spirit, Raveamon, in that very terminal, the Terminal of Flame, to be exact.

"A little while afterwards you succeeded in facing off with a tribe of Candlemon along with your friend, Agunimon. You also fought three Mushroommon—technically, a Woodmon, I suppose—with the Warrior of Light until their dark code was deleted. Though, you were still quite inexperienced then and was nearly crushed.—" I couldn't help but notice that he hadn't mentioned WereGarumon at all, though as he continued I thought he might mention something about him.

"Next came the fateful day that you and your allies rose against Grumblemon, Warrior of Earth. A Digimon of thick muscle, but very little brain mass. And even with that advantage, you could not best him. You could not unlock enough of your strength to demolish him. But the key to your strength awaited you along with Sentimon, a Digimon that fights with true passion, I will admit. She would've obliterated you if your little pup had not led you to your Beast Spirit, Wereraiomon, who gave you not only the power to drive your opponent away for a short time, but also to show your so-called friends exactly what a true warrior could do.

"You never truly saw Gigasmon coming for you, did you? He came faster than the speed that your Beast can move, and with more force than you have had since the dark. You were lucky to escape from him, and Vigomon, as well, in the state that you were in. Had the both of them been fighting you with all of their hearts, you may not be standing here in one piece today.

"The very next day when you were still in need of healing, but were unaware of it due to your duties as a guide and guard, you battled against Obstimon and his behemoth of a Beast Spirit, whom you wouldn't have been able to top without the assistance of the verres, and the way you seem to be driven by whatever is occupying your heart's best interest at the current time, in this case…the Warrior of Light.

"But battle after battle, fight after fight, he became less and less yours, didn't he? He remained your main priority, but you fell lower and lower on the list as time went on and your actions became extraordinarily questionable. You would've done the same, had there been something else in your visible life at the current time. So, ignoring the facts that killed you so, you continued to fight for him, hoping deep within that he might come to his senses someday.

"Soon he silently claimed the Warrior of Wind in his heart, in secret so that you would not notice and would continue to subdue every oppressor that appeared in your paths. But you did, oh, you were not as blind as his mind had conjured. With eyes of a bird, and the ears of a demon-wolf, how could you not see the signs that he made clear before your eyes?

"Though, all of this you should know, since it is your story after all…" His mouth was covered by a half-face mask, but if I could see it, I would've seen a smug smile on his face, though his voice sounded genuinely solemn about his words, as if I were a friend and he was explaining my own life out to me so that I might understand it on my own. "But I've left out a few…misunderstood and…hm, tricky parts, haven't I? The deaths of your family, for instance, which I cannot describe even if I'd wanted to at all, for I've no idea, nor a guess of your life before this world. However, the sudden change of your persona over the past few days is quite simple to explain, and you've been correct the whole while. There is something wrong with you, just…not exactly in the way that you've come to see it as…"

I thought he'd never stop talking, not that that made meeting him any better or any worse, but I guess you couldn't even say this was considered officially meeting someone. He clearly knew me, but I had no idea who this Digimon was other than someone who'd been either stalking me throughout this whole time, or…well, just other ways of saying 'stalking', but not quite so blunt.

I didn't know what he'd do if I just up and asked for his name out of the blue, but I didn't know any other way of communicating with the guy, let alone asking him how he knew all of that about me. But when I tried to open my mouth, all that came out was a small croak and a squeak as I attempted to form words and none came. It was as if my whole vocabulary had deserted at me at one of my most vulnerable moments. I had only one other way of learning something about him, though I hadn't thought to use the power for quite a while: I could simply read his psyche.

Before I could let myself think my plan through again, I was already concentrating hard on finding anything in his mind about who he was or anything of the sort. But my focus was broken when a voice suddenly infiltrated my mind, and it wasn't that of the dark Digimon, who was standing completely still, his eyes still on me, though they seemed distant, as if he were thinking of something that had consumed him and taken him from in front of me, mentally, at least. The voice was asking for help, asking where I was…and it was Tommy's.

I dropped to my knees, all strength in me whatsoever leaving suddenly like a wave being dragged back into the ocean, though the next never came. I couldn't stop myself from immediately cradling my head in my hands and closing my eyes so tightly that it hurt. I wasn't sure why I was doing so, but a single thought in my mind told me that it was to block something in my head, or keep something in. But I didn't understand. What was making me so weak?

_"__You grow weaker as they grow closer. Watching you try to keep both sides at bay while you take all the attacks on yourself, seeing that you don't even know who you're fighting for…Ha, it brings that much more despair to my heart," _I was startled by the sudden voice in my head—this time not Tommy's—and struggled to glance up at the Digimon. His eyes were clear again, and it was his voice now in my head, louder and just as unnerving as before. _"You're a Digimon worthy of fighting to the death, worthy of Cherubimon, if you'd only learn who you fought for. Why do you do that what you feel is true, when you can't even see clear enough to help anything at all?"_

'You grow weaker as they grow closer'…I didn't understand his words; who was 'they'? Suddenly, the meaning behind his many statements came to me, like there was a voice within me telling me everything, explaining all of it. He'd been watching me this whole time, even before the change in me had occurred, for whatever reason that was (I still couldn't get that to click; it was becoming frustrating). Ever since I'd entered the Digital World, his gaze had been set upon me. The 'why' was the only problem. I assumed it had something to do with the voice.

Nothing had been on my mind before he'd mentioned 'they', except for Tommy. But, him not being a 'they', it meant a group. The Legendary Warriors, my friends. I could hardly believe that they were part of the reason that I'd never been able to fully protect them. Even though, to me, that didn't make a whole lot of sense. If I was supposed to guard them with my life, why were they draining me of all that I needed to do so? _Why make sense of it, Toshiku? You have answers. What else do you need to know, little pain?_

Swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat, I forced out the only question I'd really wanted to know for the past couple of seconds, "W-Who are you?" I panicked slightly when I saw the hesitation in his eyes; there was calmness to them that I recognized from the past, but I couldn't place it. My fear of him left me in that very instant. "Please…please tell me."

You could've heard a pin drop in the silence that fell from the sky and landed between us. I wasn't sure if he was just trying to psyche me out even more than I already was, or if he was really thinking over whether or not to answer the only question I'd actually asked. After a few moments, he looked me straight in the eyes and answered coolly, as if the awkward silence had never happened, "I am Duskmon, Legendary Warrior of Darkness. You are already acquainted with the Warriors, so I won't go into explaining—"

"What's happening to me, Duskmon? Who keeps intruding in my mind?" I tried to inch closer to the Warrior, forgetting completely that he'd just said that he was on Cherubimon's side, not on mine. But I didn't even have enough power left in my muscles to even do that, and I fell flat on my face. I tried to pick myself up, but my arms trembled and quivered before giving out on me, and I flopped right back down. I bet I looked like a salmon in need of a bear attack to him. "…and turning me into this…this mess?"

All he did was stare at me for a moment, all of his nine eyes focusing on me like I was a bug that he didn't have a free hand to kill with. But finally he spoke, moreso to himself than to me at first, though. "…She's gotten much stronger than I thought, the girl is almost completely gone by now, especially at the rate that she's devouring her soul…" Focusing back to me again, he let out a loud sigh before replying solemnly, "You'll learn when it's time, and you don't have long to wait.

"But, for now, you'll have to remain with me. In your current state, you need to be guarded, no matter the cost," Stating words that I'd never heard spoken to me before, words that I'd only ever said to others, he moved over to me with grace, and reached out to me. The gesture was clearly awkward for him, and I could tell that he'd never helped someone get up before. Or even thought of it. "We are one and the same, after all: Alone, but surrounded."

Tears of heartfelt pain and agony filled my eyes, overflowing from them until there seemed like there was no way that I'd ever be able to stop. Like my tears, I couldn't stop the bitter sobs and gasps that came with them, even though my face was beginning to turn red with embarrassment for appearing so weak in front of Duskmon, despite the fact I barely knew him. After regaining my composure slightly, I reached up towards his hand (I wasn't even sure if that was his hand, mainly because of the dark) and gripped it tightly, allowing him to pull me effortlessly to my feet.

As soon as I felt the ground under my soles again, I released his hand, and I would've fallen again if I hadn't grabbed hold of him to keep my face from meeting the dirt again. I wrapped my arms tightly around his torso, my head resting against the huge eye on his chest, which would've been creepy if it hadn't been metallic, but operable. I hugged him to me, and even though he could've easily just pushed me away and let me fall again, he did not. I didn't understand that entirely, but thought for a short moment that it was because of the voice, what she was doing to me. If it was her, and not the Legendary Warriors.

Duskmon had grown eerily still, but I was afraid that if I lessened my grip at all to look up at his face I'd end up falling again. So, there I was doing one of the stupidest things I'd ever done in my life: Hug the deadly Warrior of Darkness. I could tell just by how he seemed like he was about to flip out that he wasn't exactly used to being touched like this. Or at all.

"…What are you doing?" He asked timidly, like he thought that this was some kind of secret way to kill someone with them being completely unaware of it until the very last second, but by then it was too late. I couldn't help but wonder if he'd been watching how I interacted with Koji. If he had, then he wouldn't have thought that I was trying to kill him.

I tried to look up at him—I noticed from this close up that his armor didn't cover up his long blonde hair, the same kind of blonde that Lobomon had—and saw that his eyes were as big as computer monitors. His expression made it clear that the close contact had caught him off guard, though his voice was serenely calm. Letting my head rest against him again, I quietly stated, "…I'm giving you a hug. When you've been alone for such a long time…you just need it."

A strange, but familiar tingling surged through my veins, and when I tried to concentrate on it, I felt something in my hand that hadn't been there before. It was small and smooth against my palm, a power emitting from it that I had felt only when my control had been lost. I realized what it was when I thought of all of those times: I held the Verre of Darkness now. That meant that I was only missing the Verre of Wood.

Duskmon cleared his throat awkwardly before pushing me away, though he was gentle and still didn't let me topple over. I could hardly believe that someone who fought for Cherubimon could be so careful—not that I wanted to jinx anything about it. Suddenly the silence was broken when he stated quite descriptively, "Come, I have something that you must witness." _…What a vocabulary you have, Warrior of Darkness._

Darkness shrouded my sight for a short moment, and the next thing I saw was my own two feet very, very high above the tree. I hadn't spirit evolved; my own mud-stained brown shoes were still covering my feet. I realized after glancing around for a few quick seconds that Duskmon was holding me in his arms like a little girl would try to squeeze all of the air out of a kitten. The whole hugging thing must've made it a lot easier for him to be so close to another person.

"Five Legendary Warriors, and that's the best they can do?" I curved my neck backwards to look up at him, questions and confusion for his rhetorical question in my eyes. He returned my gaze before gesturing to the ground below us with a wave of one of his arms, nearly giving me a heart attack since I expected him to drop me. When I trusted that he wouldn't let go, I followed his movement and saw a gargantuan Pedaldramon, larger now than I'd ever seen the veggie-lizard before. My friends were currently nowhere in sight. _They must've just been hit by Pedaldramon's attacks. I hope they're okay._

We were too high to be able to hear what anyone was saying, but it was easy to see from this kind of an angle. Pedaldramon reared up onto his front two legs, waving his two-part tail around in the air before slamming it into the ground like a psycho nurse would stab you in the _oshiri _with a couple of needles. The next thing I knew, everyone—Korikakumon, MetalKabuterimon, Zephrymon, KendoGarurumon—were hoisted into the air by thick dust-hued vines that had tangled them up beyond escape. BurningGreymon—assuming everyone was in their Beast forms—was nowhere to be seen, but it was unlike Takuya to disappear when the scent of a fight was in the air.

Pedaldramon waddled over to the group of beasts tied up tightly in the air, stood up on his back feet, and the red petal-leaves that hung from his neck like a lei began to swirl around his neck like the blades of a fan as brown, bark-looking debris shrouded in a pale green smoke-like mist shot out of his nose. The four present Legendary Beasts were directly in said attack's path.

But, as I'd anticipated, Takuya hadn't left the other Warriors, and in his Beast Spirit form, he dropped down from the sky above them. Positioning himself between the on-coming attack and the trapped Warriors, suddenly shrouding himself in a bright flame that lit up the night like a flashlight to a dark closet, he sent his own attack to block Pedaldramon's.

For a moment it looked as if it were going to succeed in overpowering the Wood Warrior's Leaf Cyclone, but the evil Warrior prevailed and the five good Warriors were blown away by the strike, and were sent tumbling to the ground, slamming into it with a crash that I felt, sensing their pain as if it were my own. I wanted to badly to help them, to struggle out of Duskmon's grasp and use my D-Tector to spirit evolve to my own Beast form and give them the morality boost that an ally always gave to fallen warriors.

But Duskmon was too strong for me to get away from in this state, so there was little I could do but wait for them to feel my presence here, and share in the knowledge that I had: I knew they could take this _yarou_ out. They only needed to get up and keep trying. "C'mon guys," I whispered somewhat mutedly, trying hard to be as quiet as possible so Duskmon didn't hear me. "Don't let that _rokudenashi_ knock you down. Get up and show him who's in charge in this world…"

Almost as if they'd heard my encouragement (Which was a pretty big deal since I hadn't said hardly one positive word to any of them in quite a long time), they all stood back up, and just as Pedaldramon was about to shoot another 'Snot Cyclone' at them, KendoGarurumon shot him square in the face with a blue ray of light energy. A smile almost crossed my face, but was held back by that strengthening force within me. _If I've never told you, Koji, I think you've got pretty wicked aiming skills._

While Pedaldramon was still trying to recover from KendoGarurumon's swift strike, Korikakumon rushed over to him and dug his claws into his leg, distracting him so that MetalKabuterimon could come around from a different angle. The Warrior of Wood was about to slam his tail either into the ground again or smack Korikakumon away from his foot, but the Beast of Thunder was faster and shot the very tip of his tail with two balls of electricity tied together by a thin string of the yellow static. In the humungous warrior's moment of pain and weakness, the white bear sunk his claws into the thick grassy skin of the Wood Beast, hoisted him into the air with a bit of effort, and flipped him onto his back in a thick cloud of stirred-up dust.

Before he could get up again, BurningGreymon clicked his sharp claws together like he always did before he was consumed by his own fire, sending the shining flames flying towards the fallen Warrior of Wood with incredible speed, which—along with the strength of the attack—was only increased when Zephrymon added her own wind-powered attack to it, turning it a brighter hue of orange (And, not to mention, adding the color of hot pink to the once very manly attack). Pedaldramon didn't have any time to get out of the way of the wind-riding fire before he was smoldered by it, the flames surging up into the air after having nowhere else to go.

When the attack had left him and dissipated up into the black clouds, Pedaldramon's once huge form shrunk back down to its usual size, but we didn't stay in the sky long enough to see any of them take his data, or even for it to appear. The next thing I knew, Duskmon had dropped back to the ground, mumbling something to himself about how Arbormon wasn't strong enough without his Beast Spirit to do any real damage or make a difference in the end.

His words infuriated me for some reason; I barely cared for Arbormon at all, but saying that he wasn't strong on his own was taking it much too far. I struggled out of Duskmon's grasp, making him drop me onto the ground. Luckily a little bit of my strength had come back, and I was able to get to my feet, prepared to run if Duskmon did anything threatening. But instead, he seemed puzzled. I wasn't entirely sure why, however.

I snarled at him, fingering my D-Tector, which was still clipped to my belt as it had always been. I could feel Wereraiomon's eager spirit wanting to become one with my physical form and take Duskmon on. But his gaze made me stop and think for a moment. He's said before that I was worthy of Cherubimon, an incredibly powerful Celestial Digimon, if I could simply decide whose side I was going to fight on: The Good Legendary Warriors—my friends—or Cherubimon, who was capable of making me stronger than I'd ever dreamt of being before.

Cherubimon had promised once to make all of my pains go away, while remaining with my friends would only increase the hurt inside of me because there would never be an end to it. Duskmon had said that many of the wounds I'd gotten from previous battles were still not completely healed yet, and I didn't have any time to rest to actually recover. However, with Cherubimon, I could fight a battle, and take as much time as I needed or wanted to convalesce from it. But with the new power he'd give me, would that even be necessary?

No one would be able to lay a harming finger on me if I was allied with Cherubimon, his goons would keep them at bay until the time felt right for me to annihilate all in my path, be it my own men or the enemy. I wouldn't be the one without hardly any army to stand behind me whatsoever, for once I'd be the one with the upper hand. I could strike down opponent after opponent, mowing down all in my path until there was nothing left but a field of blood and bodies. Nothing would stand in my way.

But, there was one thing that Cherubimon had never said he'd give me, and that was someone who cared about me. He could never replace Takuya's warm embrace, or JP's stupid magic and jokes that made me laugh despite how dumb it was. He couldn't be like Tommy and make me feel like a superhero when I was more of a villain, and he couldn't even make me feel more unique than Zoe could when she fought with me, even though she felt more like a _shiri no itami_ at the time. And if only one of them couldn't be replaced, it would be Koji, and all of the things he'd made me feel. There was no way on Earth, in heaven, or in hell that those feelings could ever possibly be ignited by anyone other than him. I'd die without him or at the very least go insane with the pain of being without him.

Feeling stronger than ever before, I looked straight into Duskmon's eyes, feeling no fear for the Warrior, even though I hadn't even spirit evolved. In fact, I truly felt superior to him, because I knew that no matter how strong he was, I'd overcome him because of all that my friends had done for me. The change had hit me like a brick wall, and there was no going back now.

I was trapped in an all-out war with the dark.

Suddenly I felt betrayed; Duskmon had said all of those things to lead me away, take me into the darkness and bind me with my own fears and stupid thoughts of mindless power. Even though strength was still something I wanted quite badly, I wouldn't crawl to Cherubimon or any other being like him for it. The only time I'd ever crawl to him was to have him lean down so I could kick him in the teeth. My backstabbed feeling was replaced by rage for all of the lies in a hurry, and I was ready to rip Duskmon's heart out. I could do that with ease as Raveamon.

But when I tried to cross my data with hers, neither would come. My hands remained bare, as if something was blocking the two strands of DNA from crossing. I attempted the transformation over and over again until I had no other ideas on what to do, but by then it was too late, and Duskmon had grabbed me, and there was hardly anything gentle about him now. He must've sensed my sudden change of heart, and probably could've been able to guess by the fact that I'd been able to stand without his help, showing that whoever this person was controlling me had lost her grip for a moment.

Even though he was crushing my throat as he pulled me along, I still wanted to show him again that there was no way I was coming to his side of the playing field. I'd rather die than help him turn this beautiful world into a Kingdom of Darkness for Cherubimon. But I knew that I couldn't stop him by myself; I wasn't strong enough to. But I had friends in a lot of places, so I didn't think getting some assistance would be that hard to do.

_Speaking of friends…_ Suddenly Duskmon and I broke through the rest of the cover that the trees had made, and we came to a small clearing. Everyone was here, the good warriors and Arbormon both. Arbormon was covered in scraps and scratches, while the others had a few less injuries, but mainly looked exhausted. I started to feel a little guilty for not having been there to help them, but that faded from my mind when Arbormon turned to face Duskmon as if he were a friend who had come just in time. "Duskmon…Well, here comes the cavalry. A friend in need is a friend indeed, right?" He sounded so optimistic and happy to see him; I would've warned him to get away from Duskmon if I could've breathed at all. Duskmon's grip was still crushing my throat.

"Wrong," The other warrior corrected harshly, seeming to feel nothing for what I knew he was about to do. I tried to connect with Arbormon's mind, attempted to tell him to run before it was too late, but my lack of oxygen restricted my ability. Or was something else controlling it? "With your Beast Spirit gone, there really is no use for you, now is there?" I could see the look in the Wood Warrior's eyes change as he realized what was about to happen, seeing Duskmon's crimson red blade suddenly shoot out from his hand-hole.

Before he could react, the Warrior of Darkness had slashed his chest, and his data dispersed, his final words echoing in my ears as tears of guilt and hatred for Cherubimon and Duskmon filled my eyes. "Yesterday's ally is today's enemy…" And with that he was gone. I didn't even have time to apologize for being so disrespectful to him. He was a Legendary Warrior after all, and we could've been able to turn him from Cherubimon's side to ours if we'd really tried.

I was tempted to smack Duskmon so hard in the face that his head popped off, but something glittering near his feet caught my eye and made me stop. I squirmed out of Duskmon's grasp—it was simple since he was busy staring at my friends, who were staring at me with shifting feet; it was clear that they weren't sure if they should attack Duskmon and sweep me away from him or if he'd attack me if they tried—and dropped to my knees, all my strength from before leaving me in that one movement.

I reached out and picked up the small object that had caught my eye. It was small, round, and slightly rough, almost like the inner wood of a tree that was protected by the bark. It shone with a bright amber, like the leaves that fell in the autumn chill. The enlightenment hit me like nothing I'd ever felt before, chilling my bones and turning my blood and mind to fire, leaving nothing but a fog that left me wondering what it truly meant: I'd received the last of the verres.

However, I didn't get very much time to ponder the meaning of the completion.

Duskmon acted quickly while the others were still stuck wondering what they should do. He reached out for me, his serene peace gone completely and replaced by a brutal strength that threatened to crush me without regret. He held me by the collar of my shirt, hoisting me as high as he could reach. BurningGreymon and MetalKabuterimon came forward slightly, wanting badly to come to my aid, but Duskmon shot them a warning glance, and tightened his grip.

I tried to pull myself from his hold, but he was like an unmovable rock and refused to budge at all. Giving one last attempt to free myself, I sent a couple of wild kicks into his side and chest, hitting him with everything that I had, but all of them did nothing but exhaust me even more. Lobomon was the first to break the silence, his voice ringing with concern for me and the want to kick the _kuso_ out of Duskmon for touching me, "I don't know who you are, but I don't care! Let go of Toshiku right now!"

But Duskmon ignored him completely, and instead continued to look at me. A pit suddenly formed in my stomach, dragging my whole being, body and soul, down into the black that was within me. Nothing like this had happened before, similar, but very different from anything else I'd ever gone through. All that I was and all that I'd ever been seemed to fade away from me until nothing was left but a silhouette in chains.

It took me a few moments, but then, when wings abruptly fluttered with life, I realized who it was, and realized how blind I'd been. There was only one way for Wereraiomon to have been unable to find whoever was messing with my head, and that was for them to have been there from the beginning of it all and even farther back than that. They had to be an unfailing, never-absent part of me, an undetectable entity that existed and survived through me, and I through them.

There was only one person like that.

All of a sudden Duskmon began to chant something that sounded like a poem, but what I knew better to be some kind of agreement in the form of a prophesy. His tone was distant and rumbling as if I were hearing him from underwater, "Into the dark unknown, to learn of the shadow disowned. Although not the shadow you fear, it be the one you hold quite dear. Strength is all you begged for, suffocating in a soul, misery galore. He gave you an offer and you accepted, though it was never an option in the end. Raveamon, it's time, and you've known since creation that you would be the one to bring about this world's condemnation!"

There was nothing I could do to control any part of me now. I wasn't sure why, or how, but Duskmon's words had some kind of an effect on me that I never would've expected. The Warrior of Darkness dropped me without a warning, and I dropped to my knees after they gave up trying to hold me up. I clutched my head as agony filled it; it was as if something was ripping my mind apart trying to escape, breaking through my skull, and trying desperately to fill my whole body with their essence.

I let out a wild scream of pain as my whole body was racked with hurt and soreness, every part of me screaming right along with me. I could've sworn I even heard a wolf howling weakly right along with me—I knew that this must've been hurting Wereraiomon as well. My body was then surrounded by data, though it was discolored and distorted in my vision. It was almost as if I was seeing the inverted version of it, but my sight didn't help me for very long. If it would help at all.

Then, the voice that I'd been trying to ignore for so long sounded again, louder and more deadly than ever, growing stronger and stronger the longer she spoke. I'd never realized that Raveamon's voice had been so cold, so cruel. _"Toshiku, you must realize your potential in the darkness; why let it become unused, and covered in layers of powdered dust? Let yourself taste the freedom of the highest airs of the Digital World, unlock the darkness from within your soul…and let me be free._

_"We can show you a world you can understand; _She_ is only there to start the job. I will finish it. And after you've fulfilled your destiny of desolating and slaughtering the Legendary Warriors, you will be the next to fall to the last step of your fate: Death by Darkness. Your lies will suffocate you as a psycho does, but only after your betrayal blinds you like burning acid; love will weaken you like kryptonite to Superman, but your hate will make you stand again and fight to your death like the Digital World messiah you hope to be, that you think you are._

_"_Believing_ you are strong and _being_ powerful are two very different, dangerous things, Toshiku. It is similar to playing with knives; you never know when you will slip and learn the hard way how sharp falling from controlling your movements and your life are. You obviously won't know what is about to happen to your Spirit, heart, and soul until it is far beyond too late to be able to change anything about it. But then again, when has destiny ever given the likes of you a choice?_

_"He is growing tired with waiting for you to decide, Toshiku. Your hesitations are causing all of us to become tense with our anticipation of owning your power; if you would give into his offers, you would see that there is no end to what you are capable of achieving. You can do anything and everything you want; there is nothing you cannot do within the embrace of the darkness in your heart. But still you refuse. The grip Light has on you has become too difficult to break off with mere spats. I will have to interfere._

_And now…I'm in control, and you can spend your days bound by shackles, stumbling around blindly, and falling in the black."_

Finally, the data that had encased me subsided. I'd become a creature tainted by the black, a being trusted by many, but now had torn the mask from her face and shown who she was, all that she brought with her: Raveamon, Warrior of Cherubimon, Destroyer of the Legendary Warriors. And the Digital World.

* * *

Oh yeah. Next one's 21, baby! I've been wanting to do that one since I really figured out the plot! I hope I get it done quick, 'cause it's gonna be awesome, and you're not going to believe all that Toshiku does, being controlled by Raveamon or not. But you've gotta feel bad for Koji. Okay, I'm babbling again, but I do want to ask you guys to put something in your review (if you do review, which I hope you do :)): Did you guess that the voice was Raveamon, and if not, who did you think it was?

Okay, thanks for reading, and I hope you guys enjoyed it! I'll work on Chapter 21 as much as I can to get it out quick.


	23. Chapter 21: In League with Satan

I don't think I've ever been this happy to post a chapter. It's been so long since I did. It's taken so long to get this out due to lack of inspiration for it, and a bit too much inspiration for all of the other things that I've been working on. A month or so ago, I got hooked on the Yugioh series, and now I've not only started and finished a GX one-shot, but I've also started a 5Ds FanFic that I haven't started posting quite yet, and I've also been brainstorming for a Fic for the first series. I've got to admit, I'm having an awesome time planning them and hope that you guys might give reading them a shot once I post them. I also hope to get back into the habit of posting every couple of weeks, or at least once a month or something. So, with all that said, I hope you guys enjoy reading Chapter 21!

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Chapter 21: In League with Satan

Raveamon stared at the Legendary Warriors like a hawk would her prey, wanting, yearning to leap forward and take them all on, show them what had been waiting so patiently inside of their friend. She wanted to prove to them that something strong could come from something weak.

But despite her eagerness, she remained beside Duskmon, her brother through Cherubimon. He had created both of them to be who they were after all, had he not? He'd fused both Spirits with the power of the darkness, and he'd given life to something that the world would only ever seen if they were about to die. He'd made two of the most powerful Digimon ever to walk on the face of the Digital World.

A devilish grin crossed her face as the Ice Bear tried to gesture her to come over to them, obviously not fully understanding the situation. Toshiku had no say in anything that would occur; currently, she had taken the place of the trapped spirit. As Korikakumon attempted to get her to come over to him, one of the other Warriors wondered aloud, "Who is this guy?" The Warrior had been the Beast of Flame, BurningGreymon. He looked remarkably powerful, though looks were almost always quite deceiving.

Duskmon laughed at his question, mocking the way that the Warrior was only asking so he knew what to put on his opponents grave. The winged Sentinel beside him was silent except for her smirk, her pointed teeth and long incisors appearing rather intimidating. "I am Duskmon, Legendary Warrior of Darkness." After hearing this, the Warrior of Light looked to her as if he thought that she was in a trance that could be broken, but Raveamon only gazed back at him, and he realized that the one he'd always looked to save was nowhere in that being.

MetalKabuterimon was the first to react enough to his words to shout out to Raveamon, not having realized the truth like Lobomon had. If he had, then he would've known that his words were only a waste of precious oxygen. "Toshiku, get away from him, hurry!" _Her friends truly have brains that take quite a while to process things, _Raveamon thought to herself, causing another horrid smile to cross her lips.

She laughed with vigor at his words as if he'd told a joke that she'd never heard before, the sound of it enough to make all the Warriors—including Duskmon—cringe slightly from fear. Her voice in itself was enough to make you shudder. "Toshiku can't hear you, duckies," She stated quite bluntly after she'd hushed her snickering; she gave them no time to question what she meant, however. "Soon enough, she won't even exist—"

"Hush, Raveamon," Duskmon commanded as though he were Cherubimon standing before her in the flesh. The Sentinel snarled at him for his tone and having interrupted her, but turned from him when she recalled that she wasn't supposed to be attacking him (Despite how much he was begging for it). She was to keep her eyes on the good Warriors, and strike them whenever the opportunity came. Cherubimon had given her that instruction himself. Duskmon continued with a wary eye on Raveamon for a moment, but eventually faced the Warriors, "You've done well against my brethren, but let's see how strong you really are," He raised his sword up, pointing the red blade's tip at them. "Show me your power!" With those words, he swung his sword with a light and graceful movement that didn't contain as much power as the red gash-shaped energy that hurtled toward the group of Beasts showed.

"All he did was swing his sword!" Korikakumon exclaimed, stunned by the sheer power that Duskmon had shown, though there was much more within him to be shared. He would never be anything but a puppy that only lived to please in his winged companion's eyes, though. He could be as strong as the strands of the universe allowed, and she would never feel that he could surpass her.

Zephrymon shared the same feeling that the Bear of Ice did. And according to her that feeling was _bad_. "I've got a bad feeling about this…" Her words made Raveamon grin inside, a sense of superiority filling her as their fear began to emit a scent from them. It had been so long since she'd tasted air through her own mouth, especially oxygen that was dripping with the bouquet of her enemies' fear. If she could only find a way to make this last forever…

However, there were those in the group that hid their fear, and she could not sense it. "C'mon! There's only one of him, and we all know how to fight Toshiku, she's been with us since the beginning!" BurningGreymon was one of those few, though there had hardly ever been a time that he showed any emotion that made him seem weak. It was a common thing among these beings, apparently. Four of them hid their true emotions. "If we defeated Pedaldramon _and_ Grumblemon, then Laughing Boy should be a piece of cake! Remember, we're Legendary Warriors!" With those words, the Flaming Beast caused a reaction in Raveamon that he would regret for the rest of his life. He never should've said that they could take her down without much trouble. For that statement, she would make him pay dearly.

"Right!" MetalKabuterimon agreed as he followed his fiery friend into a battle they would never forget, shooting twin balls of electricity tied together by a few strands of the same materials. "Bolo Thunder!" Raveamon stood ready for them, every muscle in her body surging with power as she waiting anxiously to dig her talons into the other winged Warrior. She craved badly to hear him cry out in pain, for mercy she would never give him.

As the attack neared both of the Warriors of Cherubimon, neither one of them flinched. They stood like stones, eagerly awaiting their enemies' attempt to subdue them. Both knew that such a time would never come, no matter the number by which they were outnumbered. "There's no way we can lose!" BurningGreymon shouted with triumph already sounding in his voice. Inwardly grinning, Raveamon remarked to herself, _He's due for a fall from his perch…and I'm honored to be the one to throw him._

Dust exploded into the air when MetalKabuterimon's attack crashed into the ground at their feet, sending the dust-clouded air flying back into their faces, the wind blowing Raveamon's jet black hair back. Even though she was partially blinded by the dirt, Raveamon could still sense BurningGreymon's approach, and stood stone-solid, prepared for his appearance. "Laugh at this!" The dragon-like Warrior shouted as he thrust his clawed hand out to slash at Duskmon, completely forgetting about the Human Spirit that he still believed was being controlled by his friend.

But Duskmon was much faster than him, and leapt back out of the way of his attempt at a strike with cat-like reflexes and a leopard's extreme speed. His swift flight left BurningGreymon stunned and puzzled regarding his enemy's whereabouts, leaving him completely open to attack from the hidden raven. She pounced at him with hardly a sound, and the only warning he had was a snap of a twig as she jumped off the ground and slammed a taloned foot into his face. He staggered for a moment, but a simple kick wasn't enough to please Raveamon's thirst, and she burst into the air, moving behind him. She dug her claws into the base of his wings closest to his back, and flipped him entirely, sending him sliding across the ground back towards his allies.

Duskmon appeared at her side again as swiftly as he'd averted the attack, and the both of them walked with pounding, royal steps towards the groaning pile of agony that BurningGreymon had been turned to, the Beast now surrounded by his friends as they tried to get him to stand again. Raveamon could sense their worry for him, but she could also feel their fear, knowing that not even one as strong as BurningGreymon could prevail over the two of them. Though he had taken the offensive without a thought, a mistake the others would not make.

"You are weaker than I thought," Duskmon said to them, referring without needing having said anything to the pain that BurningGreymon had just endured. His attack on the both of them had done nothing but prove to Duskmon what Raveamon had known all along: Without the knowledge of their friend's status, they were completely lost. Emotions were dragging down their morale. "I should at least give you the chance to surrender."

Once again, as was his nature, MetalKabuterimon shouted back at Duskmon without even considering the huge disadvantage they were at. While they'd only been fighting in the Digital World for a few weeks, both Raveamon and the Warrior of Darkness had been created knowing everything needed to be successful in a fight. Despite how the duo was outnumbered, they had the fighting skills of an army. "You can give it, but we won't take it!"

"Couldn't say I'd want it any other way, 'Legendary Warrior'," Raveamon replied to the foolish Thunder Warrior's peppy statement. Although it was good for boosting his friends' fighting spirits, there was nothing bright about his words at all. If he'd been thinking long-term, he may've thought over their offer for a longer moment than four and a half seconds.

Following up with their decision, Lobomon turned to both the Warrior of Ice and of Thunder, commanding both of them, "JP, Tommy, switch to your Human Spirits!" He appeared to be the only one that was still calculating each and every movement of not only his opponents and even his own men, trying to find the best way to take out his enemies. But it was clear that the disappearance of the girl he'd cared so much about since the first day he'd met her was clouding his mind, though he tried not to let it.

"Right!" Both Warriors agreed before they were surrounded by multiple strands of the thin elements that made up all life on the Digital World, and even the Digital World itself. It was an incredible thing, but it was even more incredible that one's data could be suited to make another stronger. That was all that Raveamon saw in the blueness that enveloped them: A chance to become stronger.

"Let's go!" Lobomon exclaimed before all three of the Human Spirits, joined by Zephrymon as well, charged forward towards the two opponents dressed in black armor. Both Duskmon and Raveamon had their two different swords in their grip, awaiting their enemies approach. Though Raveamon's gaze was more focused on Zephrymon, she was a Beast Spirit after all, so that meant she was stronger. It was always best to take down the strong first, for if you couldn't, that would mean that you stood no chance against the weaker beings.

"Plasma Pods!" The harpy-like Digimon cried out as four separate balls of red and white-tinted energy encased her hands and feet. Raveamon gave a single roaring flap of her thickly black-feathered wings to get up to her altitude, and gave a swift slash in her direction with the Moon Beam, coming close enough to clip Zephrymon's light blue hair ever so lightly. "Toshiku!" She exclaimed as Raveamon advanced further, forcing the Beast to abandon her offensive move and deflect her blows. "Don't you recognize me?"

The Sentinel grunted as she threw away her sword, knowing that it would be much easier to just use her own talons as weapons. She surged forward, slamming a couple of punches and kicks into the Digimon's poorly armored body before pausing momentarily to remark with an evil grin, "You know, I should thank you, actually. Without your prodding and fighting, Toshiku never would've crumbled as easily as she did. So, I appreciate the black in your heart, for they helped me to overthrow the light in hers." And with those cruel words, her wings iced over with a slick metal before she smacked one into Zephrymon, sending her flying backwards with a cry of pain.

Just as Raveamon turned to attack the little Ice-Bear-popsicle, she noticed that Lobomon, the Legendary Warrior of Light that had made her job of destroying Toshiku's will to fight for the Good Warriors so difficult, had been left in a could of dust caused by his friends' attacks, and hadn't noticed hat the Legendary Warrior of Darkness had evaded all of their attempts. He was completely vulnerable, and she couldn't resist the temptation to tangle with him. There was a yearning in her blackened soul to make him pay for all of her excess exertion.

Dropping from the air, ignoring the other two Warriors she passed on her way, Raveamon touched the ground before him with hardly a sound, and as light as a feather floating in the breeze. Noticing the sudden change of enemies and reacting to it quickly, Lobomon held his saber up just in time for Raveamon's to come crashing down on him. He grunted under the oppressive force, barely holding his ground against the black bird Digimon, who was barely showing any signs of a struggle.

Raveamon could see hurt in his eyes as their swords continually clashed over and over again as both of them tried to drive the other back, neither getting very far before the other recovered from their fault and came right back for more, neither giving in, though both fought for different reasons. Silence except for the metallic clash of swords had surrounded them until the Warrior of Light quietly questioned, most of the oxygen he was breathing in being used in his muscles to keep his head attached to his body, "Toshiku, I know you're in there somewhere, can't you see what you're doing? Toshiku, please, you can't say you don't recognize us—"

Rage suddenly lit Raveamon, a kind of anger that she'd never felt before; it almost felt like a kind sympathetic malice. These Warriors saw no possibilities in the darkness, while Toshiku had dared to give it a chance, after a bit of 'convincing', of course. But she'd been simple prey. It would take bloodshed to get them to turn. "She can't hear you, Legendary Light! You've underestimated how strong and blind the black within us had made her; your little friend is being deconstructed by the minute!" Raveamon slashed at Lobomon's sword, knocking it away from her long enough to be able to send a kick crashing into his torso like a wrecking ball.

She'd just looked up when she saw BurningGreymon rise from the dirt, his heavy frame shuddering as he struggled to regain enough of his strong composure. He wanted to fight some more, and Raveamon had no intention of saying no. The frustration and power-obsession was evident in the dragon's voice as he shouted, "You want power? I'll show both of you power!" Fire began to surround him as he let out a battle cry, though it was more like a yell to let out all of his frustration.

Raveamon walked with strong steps over to Duskmon, who'd just noticed the attack that was impending on the both of them, though neither of them thought to evade it. Apparently neither of them thought that it was too weak of an attack to worry about keeping away from. The fire shot from BurningGreymon's body, and swirled around the two of them in the shape of a tornado, the flames burning the armor on their bodies and slightly singeing their hair, but not causing them much harm at all.

But Raveamon's energy and strength began to leave her quickly and unexpectedly, and she could tell that she'd used quite a lot of her power to stay in control of this body for this long, and realized that Toshiku's own soul's supremacy was beginning to overthrow hers. She couldn't help but inwardly grin as her wings faded into data along with the rest of her form. Even though she could withstand this fire, Toshiku wouldn't be able to do such a thing. She was too weak.

* * *

My sight returned to me in blurs of bright orange and red, and I realized why when my skin started to burn intensely, Shitsurenmon's healing essence working hard to keep me from getting anything excessively bad, but the faster it worked the less and less able I was to think of what to do now, or even stand up. I was about to fall to my knees in the flames when Duskmon abruptly reached out and snatched me up by the verre collar. "You may be a messed up case, but you're still on your way. And I'll keep my vow: I won't kill you, or let you die." Without another word of explanation, he threw me from the circumference of flames, leaving me to try and pat out the flames on my clothes. I didn't get many of them out before exhaustion struck me so rapidly and with such force that I couldn't hold myself up anymore and lay down on the ground.

Despite a couple of burns and charred hems on my clothes, Shitsurenmon's powers had kept me reasonably unharmed, except for the huge hole in my heart and in my sense of loyalty to the Digital World, and most of all, my friends. I could barely believe that this had really happened; why had Raveamon's spirit turned on me like this? I didn't understand, when had she become so tainted with the evil darkness? I caught myself wishing that it didn't have to be my Human Spirit, but then I realized that it was best it was mine. If it had been one of the Legendary Spirits, then the Digital World's chance of recovering would be almost none.

I looked up with a slight panic in my heart when I heard a hushed fluttering of wings above me, but I calmed slightly when I saw that it was only Beetlemon, though the sight of the Warrior sent a feeling like a bullet to my heart. "…Are you okay?" I could see that he wanted to ask what had happened, but settled for that instead. I couldn't say I'd wished he'd said the other question.

I didn't offer him a reply as he picked me up from the ground—noticing the fact that I couldn't walk or run fast enough to catch up to them—and carried me to the group where he set me down on the ground after de-digivolving. I had to admit, it was a little awkward for JP to have held me like that, but I didn't concentrate on the very hard. I focused more on the others' reaction to my arrival. Thankfully none of them turned to look at me; otherwise, I was sure that I would've had a breakdown because of my misery. I hadn't been able to control Raveamon's evil spirit, the spirit that I'd thought would follow me to the ends of the Digital World, but in reality only followed Cherubimon.

JP moved ahead to walk beside Zoe, Koji, Tommy, and the Digimon, barely giving me a second glance as he did so. I walked beside Takuya, though he didn't acknowledge my presence either; he was lost in thought, probably about the battle. It made me feel like I was hated amongst them, though I knew that even if they did both of us would have to deal with it for the sake of the world and all the Digimon in it. But I couldn't be sure how well that would go.

The first one to acknowledge me was Zoe, though it wasn't in a way that I would've wanted—I would've preferred if they'd just continued in the silence, honestly. "Shouldn't Toshiku be walking _in front_ of us instead of _behind_ us? So we can keep an eye on her instead of the other way around like usual?" She looked back at me with a snide, confident look on her face. She knew that she had me at a very weak moment, and was happy to be the one to take advantage of it. "Don't you think so, _Sentinel_—"

"Knock it off, Zoe!" Tommy exclaimed unexpectedly, surprising everyone with the strength and irritation that his voice contained. I'd never heard him like that before; he usually never made a peep during one of our arguments. Honestly, he seemed just as surprised as everyone else did. Quieter than before, and with his head hung slightly, he added, "I think there's been enough fighting today…"

But Takuya was either too lost in thought to have heard him, or was plain not listening, because he got all of us right back onto the conversation. "You know, guys, the more I think about, the more I think I really did beat that guy," At this comment, everyone let out an aggravated sigh like this had been going on for quite a while. I realized that they must've been talking a lot before I got there. "I can't believe that an attack _that _powerful wouldn't do something serious to him. You know?"

However, despite his hopes for someone to share in his opinion of his own brute strength, no one replied to him or even looked in his direction. I was tempted to say that it had felt like it would've done something to me, but Duskmon had been almost completely unharmed when I saw him last, but I remained silent and continued with my eyes on the ground before me. Seeing that everyone was ignoring him, Takuya let out an irritated sound before grumbling like a little child, "Fine."

JP was the first to actually take note of Takuya's words, though it was obvious that it wasn't in the exact way that the brunette would've wanted. The Warrior of Flame walked on with a fierce, agitated scowl on his face as he listened to JP's insulting words. "Do you guys hear something that sounds like someone talking?" I wasn't sure whose side I was on in this, but I did know it had been foolish for Takuya to have done that. But I wasn't one to talk. I'd attacked my own people, burned my own village.

"Not me." I was only slightly surprised to hear Koji's voice playing along with JP's immature game that I could remember all of the people in my class doing to my brother. I'd always beaten the _kuso_ out of anyone who did it to him, but even with my having done that daily, he still had all kinds of friends. And they knew I wouldn't hurt them. _I wonder what Daijiro's face would've looked like if he saw me fighting _my_ friends like that…_ "But, if I did hear that, I'd say it was getting pretty annoying."

Apparently Takuya didn't enjoy that game very much either. But his reason was different. Clearly. "Very funny guys, you can play your little game all you want, but I'm telling you, that guy is toast. There is just no way he could stand there and take that fire attack of mine." It was almost hard to believe how persistent Takuya was, and all over one simple attack in one battle. But I shared his concern with strength, and could understand how it would bother him if an attack that he'd thought was incredible turned out to barely even do a thing to his enemy.

"Yeah, right. Were you at some other fight? He took all our attacks and didn't even flinch." Koji replied without a glance back at the other Warrior. I knew that this was an important moment for them, but I wasn't sure how much longer I could take having them keep going on and on like this. I could feel another pit in my stomach; Raveamon liked their arguing, she enjoyed hearing the tension between us.

Not that Takuya was any better or any worse. "Ah, so, you can hear me now, huh? Well, then riddle me this, Smart Guy, how can you be so sure about what happened after _you_ made us run away?" Now, not only were they making me feel like I was going to puke, but they had me wondering about Duskmon. What was he doing right now? Was he stalking us from a safe distance (By 'safe', I mean far enough away that he wouldn't be detected, since he did know everything about me, and that would mean that he knew the abilities of my Beast Spirit, and that if Raveamon felt anything at his approach, I could sense her sentiment)? Or had he gone back to Cherubimon to figure out his own plan?

"Do you really think he's alive?" Zoe asked Koji, her voice telling him that she was prepared to hang on every word that came out of his beautiful mouth. I absolutely hated how she looked at him, how she acted and talked whenever he was around. If I could've, and if she wasn't needed to help the Digital World, I would've kicked her in the face again like on that raft-thing. Though, now that I thought about it, that hadn't seemed to help with the situation as much as it had taken a toll on my rage. That still didn't stop me from yearning to make her hurt as much, or even more, than I was.

"There's no doubt about it at all," Koji answered her with a solemn tone; it was clear that he wanted to believe Takuya, he wanted Duskmon to have been eliminated with that one attack. But he hadn't been, and I could tell by Raveamon's jumpiness (I was getting a headache, different from all of the ones that Takuya's never-ending chatter or Zoe's shrill voice gave me) that Duskmon was alive and well, and remarkably pissed off. He was near, and closing in quickly. "None of us did any serious damage to him."

"We barely didn't anything to Raveamon either…" Zoe mumbled angrily, casting a half-glance back at me that shouted, 'You'll rue that moment forever, Toshiku. Rue it!'. She didn't even need to threaten me, I already regretted having done what I did, even though, like Duskmon said, it was never supposed to be my choice anyway. It was destiny. But I didn't get that; wasn't your destiny supposed to lead you down the right paths, not use your closest 'friend' to bring you to your knees, and kick you in the teeth?

Ignoring Zoe along with everyone besides me, Tommy wondered aloud, his voice even smaller and more hushed than I'd ever heard it before, almost as if he were hoping Duskmon and all of the other evil entities under Cherubimon's rule couldn't hear him. I couldn't help but feel guilty for his having so much fear within his heart. "So, how are we supposed to beat him?" _Why did I have to do that to him? I'd promised to guard him like a watchman, but I failed. And now he doesn't even seem to have any more hope. I killed it._

"I don't know—" _Sadly, that makes two of us._ I couldn't stop my thoughts from becoming hopeless and depressed like before; it was hard to keep staring into the brighter side of things when the light hurt your eyes. We stopped moving forward, and Koji turned to face the others, and for the first time since I'd turned on him, I saw his face. But he tried his best not to cast his gaze upon my eyes, or even on me at all. It made me feel like a monster, and I knew he saw me as just that. "—We'll find someplace safe to come up with a plan."

"Then we'll never have a plan," Tommy said sadly, his head tilted towards the ground and complete and utter defeat rushing through and filling his once always bright, happy eyes. I could hardly believe how much one pitch black moment could do to someone. Especially someone like him. "There's no place safe in this world." _I'm still here…_

I wanted to reach out and place a hand that omitted gentleness and confidence in my words on his shoulder, but I wasn't sure if Raveamon could hurt any of them through a simple touch, and kept my arms at my sides as I repeated the promise I'd made so many weeks ago, "Nothing will stop me from protecting you, Tommy—"

"I don't know if you even can anymore, Toshiku…" His words cut me like a butcher knife being used against butter. It was hard to swallow, but I knew that if I didn't it would hurt a lot more if I didn't: The boy who'd once thought of me as a hero with big black bird wings had so many doubts in me that he couldn't even look up at me as he spoke. Or was he afraid to? I had hurt him before…Did he even know that that hadn't been me? _But if who I've always remembered being isn't me…then who am I now?_

Either having heard this and deducted that this was all caused by Koji, or simply having ignored the issue with Tommy's lack of trust towards me, Takuya suddenly erupted. "You know what, Koji? This is all your fault! If you just hadn't been _so_ eager to turn tail and run!" I wanted to snarl at Takuya, smack him across the face and tell him off for his words and his lack of participation in the teamwork that he'd been talking about before we'd even gotten ourselves stuck in this black hell. But I didn't. I couldn't. And I knew why. Raveamon wouldn't let me pick a side in this. I was on my own, with her, and the dark. I was on Duskmon's side.

If that blinded Koji with fury on the inside, he was pretty good at controlling himself and only showing a slight bit of it, mainly because it was hard not to when you're disagreeing on something about someone. Even if they're your best friend. "Just what are you saying?"

"I'm _saying _that if we'd only stuck around a bit longer and worked as a team, we might've beaten him!" It was at that comment that I wanted to spell it all out for Takuya with a swift punch to the face. When your friend is having problems getting something through their skull, what do you do? Depending on what that something is, you help it through their thick cranium.

Koji seemed to notice the same problem, even though he didn't go with the plan that I'd set out. Which, after I thought about it for a little while, wasn't exactly the best way to go about helping when I'd only recently attacked said Legendary Warrior. "And what do you know about working as a team?"

An expression of pure and utter astonishment at Koji's words popped onto Takuya's face, almost as if someone had just slapped him across the face as hard as they possibly could have. "Wha-What do you mean?" _You seriously don't know? Well, I guess if you're that blinded by the want to fight, you're not really going to notice all that much besides what or who you're battling. But that's still not an excuse._

"I _mean_, you didn't look very much like a team player when you went charging in there against Duskmon and Raveamon by yourself, did you?" Koji's tone was sharp and even cut through me like I was butter. I couldn't help but feel that what he'd said applied to me as well with what I'd done, and what I hadn't. "You could've been hurt, Takuya. Or we all could've been—"

"So?" Takuya's anger and will not to acknowledge his own mistakes erupted within him, blasting all of us with his words, hot like lava and burning like bubbling steam. But that didn't burn hardly as much as the next words that came smoldering from his flaring mouth. "At least I'm on the right side—" I would've said something to counter that, no matter what kind of response it would've received, if Bokomon hadn't beaten me to it.

"Well, I'm famished, who wants to eat?" The white Digital creature questioned aloud without hardly a warning, but I could understand why. He disliked all the arguing and fighting about such things as this just as much as the next guy, and that happened to be Neemon, who was cowering near Bokomon despite the fact that he was taller. I felt a little bad for them being caught up in the middle of all of this, especially since they both could've chosen not to come with us in the first place. _Maybe they knew we'd be dead by now if they hadn't been here._

Takuya, obviously, didn't get that. "Wha-Huh? Are you kidding me? We're right in the middle of an argument!" He shouted in disbelief at their interruption, balancing up on his toes as he towered over them (Somehow; it looked like his toes were about ready to give up on him). No one made a move to calm Takuya down at all, but at that moment, it was a bit obvious that no one really cared.

"Being angered easily is a sure sign that you're hungry," Bokomon retorted with a wave of his hand, gesturing for the Warrior of Flame to calm himself enough for him to be able to continue speaking. "Now, let's have something to eat and discuss this like civilized people, if you can." _Food is your answer to everything, isn't it Egg Man? No, never mind, that's JP._

The mention of food seemed to brighten most everyone's mood, the exceptions being Takuya and I, though I tried to seem a bit lighter for the sake of avoiding another conversation. But Neemon acted as if he had no cares in this dark, dark world. "Yeah! Let's eat!" I could hardly believe how incredibly chipper Neemon could be at a time like this, but then I thought about it again and realized that Neemon could be pretty oblivious to a lot of things when he wanted to be. Or didn't want to be, I didn't know.

Zoe was next, like always, to comment on the subject, whether any of us wanted her to in the least bit or not. She raised a hand as if we were voting on this, and it hadn't just been decided by Bokomon, who was really putting his tiny foot down for once. "I'll second that notion!" I wished so much to go up and smack her, force her hand back down, do something to make her hurt. I wanted Cherubimon to have taken her Spirit. I wanted Gigasmon to have been stronger, so he could've defeated them before her Spirit had been taken back. I craved for her to hurt as much, and more, than I did now.

But I did nothing but snarl and smother myself mentally in my rage.

Tommy had apparently recovered—or had already forgotten—from both our 'conversation/ and the little talk he'd had with Takuya, because he sounded ecstatic when he added, "Count me in!" He also raised his hand, taking Zoe's lead and yet again making me rage inside. I hated how he could trust her, the _subeta_ that had stabbed me in the back in full view of everyone so many times, and yet he could find no confidence in me. I knew why, but it still hurt me deeply.

"Yeah, I'm wasting away to nothing!" JP whined, using the same basic excuse he normally did whenever someone else's stomach so much as whispered to the other organs, even if it hadn't even been talking about food, per say. It could've mentioned something about poison and the next few words out of JP's mouth would've been that he was so hungry he could eat Bokomon and not even care.

Bokomon stated the thought that all of us had on our minds, but knew better than to say. "And, it will keep Takuya's mouth occupied…" It earned a laugh from Tommy, and a half smile from JP, but other than that most everyone tried to ignore the comment. We all knew there was already a fair amount of tension, and there was no need to try to cause more.

* * *

I couldn't stay by the others for very long. As soon as we'd all agreed on a place to spend the night, I'd gotten out of their presence as fast as human speed allowed me. I knew that it made me seem suspicious, running away, but I had to. I had to be alone, or I'd freeze from the inside out because of the warmth of their tries at friendship. Raveamon had tried to kill me and everyone else because of our bond, hadn't she? I wasn't on the right side in her eyes, so that meant she had to destroy those closest to me in order to make me turn.

"All of this time…I can't believe I couldn't see her there," I mumbled to myself, forming my hands into fists in my pockets as I continued to meander aimlessly through the dark forests. The more I thought about everything, the angrier and more disappointed in myself I became. The more I thought of myself as a horrible replacement for AncientRaiafemon, and Shitsurenmon. "Both of us kept in darkness, but she was right in front of me the whole time, and I didn't figure it out…"

My self-rage soon grew to be unbearable, and I couldn't help but hate myself even though I knew I should've hated Raveamon—not to say I didn't, it was simply masked by my self-loathing. I let out an aggravated yell as I punched the closest tree as hard as I could, sending a stray piece of bark flying. "How could I be so stupid, so blind?" I wanted badly to tear myself into pieces, to rip my body and soul apart limb from limb, burn in the fires of hell and never die.

But I couldn't. There was nothing I could do to fulfill the craves of my revulsion.

I backed away from the tree, holding my hand to me as it throbbed with pain, even though it wasn't nearly enough for what I deserved. I attempted to tell myself that I hadn't known, and I couldn't condemn myself for something I couldn't have stopped, I couldn't execute ignorance, but my mind and soul wanted justice. They wanted justice that my body couldn't give them rightfully.

Putting a hand up to hold my pounding head, I felt something cold and wet against my palm. However, when I looked I expected to see blood, but it was clear, not scarlet. I could tell by my own tears that I was still loyal to the Digital World's well-being, and the Legendary Warriors, but I could feel as I faded from their grasp. Ice was freezing over the power of my spirit, and nothing could tell me the answer of the only question I wanted to know right now.

How much time did I have before _everything_ fell into the hands of the darkened?

With this single inquiry plaguing my mind, I turned and started back towards the cavern-like place that we'd set up camp. I knew I didn't belong with the Warriors in this kind of a state, but maybe remaining with them could help me forget about this. It could help me to retard any more chances of Raveamon trying this plan again. _If this was only a one-time thing, then I don't have to worry about it much more. But if she's hiding a lot more power like she was hinting towards, then she's only waiting for an opportunity. If I go back…am I giving her that chance?_

Despite all of my 'if's, I soon found myself back at the 'campsite', where I could see the beginnings of a small fire growing ever so steadily. For a moment I thought I would have a streak of luck and no one would be here, but that hope crashed and burned into a crisp when I saw JP sitting there, tending to the fire with exceptional skill. I suppose, though, that after being in this place so long and being forced to learn things such as that, your brain picked up on new techniques quite rapidly.

I didn't go any closer to him than the very edge of the light the fire gave off, but even though I stayed in the darker part of the area, he noticed me there. Surprisingly, he said nothing to me and awkwardly returned his attention to attending the wood making up the fire, though I could tell that his prodding of it was just so he could think of something to say. He didn't think for very long. "What…What happened with you back there, Toshi? I know…your Beast Spirit's a bit strong for you, and same with your Human Spirit because your Ancient Spirit was pretty tough, but I've never seen you act like that before. It's like it wasn't you…"

JP trailed off and became silent when he saw that I was making no attempt to explain myself, knowing that he wouldn't understand. Or believe me. I wanted to say something, I racked my brain for something he would listen to, but I found nothing except a promise I'd made many times in the past, but seemed to be incapable of keeping: I'm on your side; I won't hurt you.

_I want to be on your side…I don't want to hurt you…_ My inner whispers shone through to him in the way the fire's dim light reflected and shimmered in my eyes, and I could see the will to believe me there on his face. But the trust wasn't there; it was long since broken, since the day that I'd nearly crushed him in my jaws as Wereraiomon. Maybe even before that had torn us away from the bridge we could've finished building. Now, it was wearing away into dust, and neither one of us could make the other fix it all over again.

"You know…" JP quietly spoke up, his voice wavering slightly as though he was afraid that his words might set me off somehow. My heart grew sore at his fear, and I wished desperately for a way to regain his trust, though I knew it would be nearly impossible to gain it all back today. It would take a very long time, but soon, it would come back. "Actions speak much louder than words most of the time…" He gulped back his nervousness, and waited to see my reaction, though I really didn't show one.

I stood with a blank look on my face, my mind racing to find the reason behind his words, even though it appeared that there really wasn't a clear one to find, at least from him. It felt as if his statement was supposed to mean something different to me than it would to him, as if he were trying to assist me in finding a way to reconcile with myself and everyone else for…for the treason I'd committed.

My thoughts were interrupted, though, when Zoe walked into the place with an armful of wood. Tension filled the room as quickly as water filled up a glass when we locked gazes, and I knew that my cue to leave had just been gestured. I glanced at JP's concerned stare before turning from him and exiting the stone-made place, trying my best to avoid Zoe's hard, loathing eyes, knowing that if I gave her the chance to say anything to me, we would both end up fighting in our Spirit's forms again. That was something that none of us wanted.

I wandered for a while, walking close to the river on a path that appeared to have been taken by many Digimon before. The vegetation—even though there really wasn't much at all in the Dark Continent to speak of anyways—had been worn away by the friction of so many feet, or appendages that were supposed to be used as feet. It made you wonder, it really did, about who those others could've been. Had they been somebody, or were they just your average Joe-Digimon? Had they made any kind of difference in this bleak place, or had they fallen victim to its treacherous ways, the dark having turned their very companions against them, as was its way of killing you from the inside out?

Had they been in the same general situation as we were? As I was?

Finally, I stopped at a shallower spot in the river where you could see all the way to the bottom, though it still reflected everything above it. The thin layer of water surrounded a small peninsula that jutted out into the river a little ways; however, it barely stretched halfway—or even a third—of the way across it. I walked out onto the little peninsula and sat with my knees drawn up to me, my feet in the water up to the middle of my shins, just enough that I could see my face in the water. I didn't care that I had my shoes and everything else still on; what would a little water do to me?

_I said the same thing about Ophanimon's call, and look where I am now…_That one call had changed everything for me, some ways started out good, while others went right to where everything had ended up: Hell. Some things, like the trust that I had in my Spirits, had stayed with me until recently, while almost everything else, like my faith in the other Spirits and their carriers, had left much more rapidly.

My first mistake had been allowing myself to feel anything more for Koji than what I had everyone else. It had been stupid for me to like him, and actually try to find out if he liked me back, or if I could do anything to help that process along. A rookie mistake, and it had cost me so many battles and feats. One wrong decision had pitted me against another Warrior, making more enemies out of those who were meant to be an ally.

Pain racked my heart as my next mistake came to light: Allowing WereGarumon to remain with us, to travel in our group. I should've left his egg there before it even hatched, but I hadn't been thinking about all the consequences of my choices. Never had it crossed my mind that I could've lost so much of my life due to that little pup. If I hadn't let him interfere in so many fights, in so much of this expedition, maybe he would be alive and happy, living somewhere green and lively. It was my fault, and I knew it. _Maybe if I'd known more about my Spirits and what they were meant to do all of that wouldn't have even happened._

But I'd gotten many chances to ask questions and all that whoever I'd been speaking with had done was multiply those questions by ten. The Senariomon had told me all they knew about the Digital World's history concerning my Spirits; however, even then it still wasn't enough, I was always left with more confusion and unanswered inquiries. It was a cycle that never stopped.

If my questions weren't enough, everything got worse when Grumblemon showed up for the first time. Our battles had been fierce, mainly based on our strength and nothing more. A rivalry to see who could best the other with brute power. When I really thought about it, most of my fights had been about that: Proving that I was stronger, that I could not be bested by anyone. That was who I was, that pride made my blood flow.

That will to show my power became even more evident when I found my Beast Spirit, and I owed the locating of it all the WereGarumon. If no for him, then I never would've been able to defeat Sentimon. Well, at least the first time, and technically I had just scared her away, I hadn't defeated her completely. She still walked upon this world's ground, but I knew that if she, or any one of them, came right now, I would not be able to beat them. Not when Raveamon wasn't on my side anymore.

The only question I wanted answered now was the hardest one I'd ever faced before: Why is it my destiny to fight all of my friends, why do I have to fight my own Human Spirit? I couldn't feel the friendship that we'd once shared within my soul anymore, or had that feeling been faked by her as a way of hiding until the proper time? It had to have been a façade. I gritted my teeth in anger as the realization hit me: All this time, she'd been evil. And by using that Spirit, I'd given her opportunities to grow stronger and stronger, until the time that she didn't need any more of my life to sustain her own.

And yet, while she was part of me, she would never be able to stop herself from stealing more and more of my precious life force. It was simply impossible. Until I found a way to be rid of her—which, currently, sounded like a nightmare's work, a dream that would never be so because of the lack of belief in miracles—I would never know the time when she would overthrow my own control, and replace it with her own. When she was waiting for that moment, it was clear that she spent her time tapping into my muscles' power and my mental strength, anything that she could dig her hooks into to drag me down and lift herself up from the dark to destroy any light.

I knew how she'd been turned evil now, though. After having so much time alone to ponder things like that, I'd found the perfect time span in my life that would've given Cherubimon the chance to turn my precious Spirit to the dark side of this life. Only moments after Raveamon had become part of me entirely would've been the weakest that either of us had ever been at because both of us were missing something: Me, an entity; Raveamon, a physical form.

That moment of powerlessness would've made the best window of opportunity for Cherubimon's evil darkness to fill Raveamon completely, turning her from a valiant Warrior of the Moon Dwellers to another one of Lucemon's goons, led currently by Cherubimon. Raveamon wouldn't have had a choice in the matter, and AncientRaiafemon would have already been destroyed by then. Nothing was in Cherubimon or Lucemon's way at that time. It was despicably perfect.

But she wasn't the only one who'd been turned from the light to the blackness. It was clear that Duskmon had been changed, somehow. Despite how vicious and malevolent his persona appeared to be, there was a certain quality in him that whispered, 'I'm sorry; I can't stop'. The voice in him sounded familiar, and I'd first heard it in him when I'd hugged him. He was another Legendary Warrior that had had its DNA fused with tainted darkness, and didn't know how to escape on its own.

I didn't know how to help; I didn't even think there was a way that I could. The only thing I thought of to do was fight him. There really wasn't much else to do, because it was pretty obvious that he wouldn't listen if I tried to talk to him about anything except joining him. In spite of my want to help him, there was loathing for him there in my heart, the will to obliterate him for what he set off inside of me. He gave Raveamon the signal she'd waited her whole life to sense; henceforth destroying all the confidence I'd once had in my Spirits.

As I continued to ponder Duskmon and what he'd done, I recalled that the flames that had encircled us for that moment hadn't seemed to do anything to faze him. He'd even had the strength to toss me from the flaming tornado with incredible ease. If that meant what I thought it did, then he was still wandering around in the dark shadows of the forest, coming closer and closer, seeking to finish what he'd started. And drag me to that victory with him. _Not if I get to him first. I have to redeem myself in the Warriors' eyes. I'll prove to them that there's still goodness existing in me._

The longer I sat here with my head clouded with regrets and miseries of the past, the less and less space there was between the Legendary Warriors and that Warrior of Darkness. I had a choice to make, though it was quite far from simple; the answer, however, was in plain sight. But it was going to be hard to ignore all of the hazard signs outlining the path before me. With a shaky sigh and trembling limbs, I leaned over into the water and scrubbed the obvious signs of fear from my face before standing. Turning from the dirt-clouded water, I moved away from the shoreline and back into the woods, my simple plan circulating endlessly in my head as if it were on a treadmill and couldn't get off.

Find Duskmon, and annihilate his evil spirit before he could get to the Warriors.

I would have no choice but to use my Beast Spirit, which was fine by me since she was the stronger of the two anyway (At least, the one I could actually control). Snatching my D-Tector from my belt, I took the first step of the mission and evolved to Wereraiomon, restraining to need to howl into the dark. If I made too much noise, someone would hear me and wonder what was going on. I had to make sure no one pondered my whereabouts; if they did, they might leave the cavern and get sucked into the fight between Duskmon and me.

Walking with much more stealth than I would've if I were still in my human form, I made my way through the shadows, searching the air for Duskmon's scent the whole while. I was almost certain that I'd found a hint of it after a few moments, but while I was trying to decipher its complex aroma, voices that were far too familiar sounded in my ears.

"How come I'm doing this myself?" I could smell them before they were even done conversing: Bokomon and Neemon, Neemon having been first to speak. I should've known that some of the group would be getting supplies for the night. I'd forgotten about that completely. JP had the fire, Zoe got the wood, Koji—along with Bokomon and Neemon—were to get water, and Takuya and Tommy were supposed to get something to eat. So, if that meant what I figured it did, only JP and Zoe were back at the cavern. I'd have to be that much more careful about avoiding them.

Glancing from the shadows towards where I heard their voices coming from, I saw Bokomon holding a pair of buckets while Neemon struggled to keep his balance on two rocks and fill up another bucket. Koji was leaning against a small rock/dirt 'wall' that had been carved due to weathering and erosion. "I'm the one carrying _two_ buckets, you know!" Bokomon snapped back at the blonde rabbit; it appeared that he hadn't noticed I was there.

A wolfish grin threatened to cross my face when I heard Neemon's cleverly annoying reply. If I was Bokomon, I would've chucked one of the buckets at him and knocked him into the small river. "But that doesn't help me carry this one, does it?" They, along with everyone else, would be on my mind when I found Duskmon. I would be fighting for them, to show them that I was on their side and would always be. As long as I remained in control of that decision, anyways.

Turning to continue tracking Duskmon, my tail brushed against a bush, making the leaves and branches rustle loudly, alerting Koji and the two Digimon to my presence. I let out a puff of a aggravated sigh for having been seen because of such a stupid mistake, but came out of the shadows—reluctantly—so they could see it was only me. I realized a couple of seconds later that it would've been much smarter to have just taken off right then and there. At least they wouldn't have been able to stop me.

"Toshiku," _Oh, _kuso_. I knew I should've left when I had the chance._ Koji's voice cut through the silence to my ears with such strength that I internally flinched. He didn't seem angry or anything; it was actually the lack of emotion in it that made it so powerful. Knowing what he meant by saying my name in such a tone, I let out another sigh under my breath before returning to normal. Coming out of the cover of the trees, I made my way to the shoreline of the small river, staying on the opposite side.

There was a long silence between us, our eyes locked in a mental battle. I was tempted to search his mind for a summary of what he planned to say to me, but I wasn't sure if that would trigger Raveamon into taking control again, since it was her ability to do such a thing that I was tapping into. Finally, Koji took a chance, and came right out with what was on his mind. "I don't want any more lies, Toshiku. I don't care if you're trying to keep us safe by not telling us about something, but as long as you're part of this group, we deserve to know what's going on. And so far, you haven't been doing that very well." It was true, and coming out in words, it sounded cold. I hadn't thought about how much time they had to wonder about everything I actually told them, or about what I clearly hid.

With a blank face—though it wished to possess a snarl, and if I hadn't been trying to keep myself calm, it would've owned one—I replied as coolly as I could, "You can't handle what's going on, Koji. None of you can. Even if I explained everything to the best of my ability, you'd never understand enough for it to matter." My voice was strong, but quiet and steady, exactly what I wanted it to be. The will to end this conversation as quickly as possibly was evident in my eyes, their boldness matched by nothing.

Koji's features contorted in sudden aggravation and rage, his eyes burning as if he'd learned that someone had murdered his closest friend. Or his mother. "If you would say something more than 'Everything's fine; don't worry' maybe we'd understand!" His hands fisted tight enough to make his knuckles turn a little white, the Light Warrior took a step towards me. "You're not alone in this world, but if you try to be you aren't going to be able to defeat any of your problems! You. Won't. Win." Despite his fearless appearance, there was fright within him, I could sense it in the air.

He thought that even though he wasn't sure what had gone on with my Human Spirit, whatever it was had taken a great toll on my thinking. Koji figured that since I'd been damaged by something I'd always held close to me, my mind had been scrambled in such a way that it was dangerous for me to be keeping decisions I'd made to myself. _He knows I'll go after Duskmon…Or does he?_

Keeping those thoughts fresh in my mind, I did all I could to hid my mission from being revealed through my eyes. They were windows into your soul and mind, and could sell you out without any intention to do so. "I have to be, Koji. I can't accept your help because she—they'll hurt you if I do," Even though she was a big factor in this, I tried my best not to single Raveamon out as the only enemy. I had many, and I had no idea where any of them were at this moment. "I'm supposed to get you through the Digital World and back to the human world in one piece, and that will not happen if you try to take on any of my opponents! They're too strong for any of you—"

"It looks to me like they're too tough for you as well!" Koji exclaimed with a dash of rue and melancholy reverberating clearly in his tone. I knew that he was talking about all of the times that I'd gone against any of Sentimon or Obstimon's evolutions and had failed miserably each time, almost meeting death itself with the end of each battle. He'd never been there to witness Vigomon's vitality in combat—part of me was happy for the absence of such an event—though Vigomon had never really done me much harm, nothing that compared to Sentimon and Obstimon.

I instantly shrugged off his comment and stated hotly, glad that I could use his words against him for once, "That only further proves my point: If I'm no match for them, then you Legendary Warriors won't be able to touch them. The only chance anyone has of destroying them is if I take them on time after time, learning their moves and every weak point," Every part of my physical, mental, and spiritual being tensed, becoming harder than stone as I fisted my hands to emphasize my point. "You will be killed if you try to help me—if you even try! They'll murder you!—"

"And if you keep wrapping yourself up in situations you can't win, you're going to end up dead!" As if this whole conversation was giving him the worst headache in the history of both worlds, Koji held a hand to his head. My heart felt a little sore, it always did whenever I saw him in any kind of pain. But it hurt even more when I remembered who had gotten me into such a stranger-to-stranger kind of relationship with Koji in the first place. "Have you lost so much blood in all your years of fighting that you can't even realize when you have to stop—"

Closing my eyes so tightly I gave myself a headache—an attempt to hide the pain that I knew I couldn't hide any other way—I prepared myself for the worst as I entered the roughest territory that anyone had ever suffered through. I had to confront Koji about Zoe again, but for once it was just him and I (Bokomon and Neemon didn't take up much space, and they wouldn't repeat anything they heard). "If Zoe would keep her hands off of you, maybe I wouldn't get into so many fights because my guard wouldn't always be up! I wouldn't be as edgy, so there wouldn't be as much of a chance that the littlest thing could set me off!" Reopening my eyes to gaze directly into the bewildered blue of his, I let him see the rage and hurt that I'd hidden inside of my soul for so long.

I'd tried to hard to appear strong for all of them, like nothing could shake me from a stance of courage and fearlessness. But here I was, showing who I tried to hide: A shattered, pathetically weak little girl that didn't know if she could stop fighting, because that was the only way that she could see herself as something more than another human that didn't mean anything to the world. I was crumbling inside, and it wasn't only what Zoe's strikes against me had done. My Human Spirit—the only friend I'd had in my darkest hours—had turned on me, showing her true colors to be that of Lucemon's black army. All she'd done for me had been faked. My whole life was a lie.

Hoping that my voice wasn't cracking as much as I was, I forced out the last of what was on my mind, the rest was up to Koji to give me, "But we both know she won't do that, she won't even think about doing that, will she? You know that as well as I do. So, tell me, Minamoto, when did the Wind sweep the MoonLight from your heart?" My words stung him like the acid that spewed from Calmaramon's mouth, it hurt just the same as they came from my lips. My heart had stopped beating long ago, but it still burned with hatred for myself for doing this to Koji, to all of them. It knew all that I'd done wrong, and reminded me daily of all of its notes.

Silence shrouded both of us, the fog-like quiet deep enough for me to be able to hear the small whimpers coming from Neemon, though Bokomon tried his best to hush his friend. I felt a little bad for them, being stuck in the middle of a 'conversation' as intense as this had become. Of course, I would've preferred that they weren't here, but I didn't want to send them back to the cavern-campsite without anyone with them in case something happened. I couldn't do that, I knew that if something happened they wouldn't stand a chance. So, they'd just have to suffer right along with the two of us.

It was clear that Koji's mind was racing faster than he could keep up with it. With each second that passed by he analyzed another of my words, finally collecting them all into one. He didn't look at me for a couple of minutes, keeping his gaze off of me as he thought over all that I'd said. I could hardly believe that he was really this dense; was he just playing dumb to deter me from the truth? I was almost certain that that was the case, but I played along without a word, each moment of quiet feeding the hunger of my burning rage.

Finally the longest silence that had ever fallen between us was broken, the new record set for the next time that both of us fell short of words. Koji's eyes were starting to fill with clarity as he realized what I was getting at, but wished in his heart that he was wrong. That was why he had to ask, "…What are you trying to say to me, Toshiku? Just say it!—" _If you can't get my riddles, then I'll spell it out. Scar by scar._

Letting out a sigh to try to calm myself, I could feel something rattling around inside of me as if something was broken. But I knew what that creeping, crawling sensation beneath my skin, snaking through my bones and muscles was. It was Raveamon's spirit; she was awake. I was running out of time to find Duskmon. If I wanted to take him out, I had to leave soon. If that meant not knowing if Koji really was having an affair with Zoe, then so be it. If I was able to weaken Raveamon's fighting spirit by eliminating Duskmon, then it would be worth it because I would be more like me again, and not so much like Raveamon.

"…Forget it." I turned my gaze from him without saying anything more; there was much left to say, but there was no time for any of it. Using the rocks that Bokomon and Neemon had balanced on to gather water as a bridge, I crossed to the opposite side, the side that Koji was on. It wasn't my best idea because I was closer to him, but it was also closer to Duskmon. I had caught his scent as Wereraiomon coming from this direction, had I not?

Koji's mouth fell agape with surprise at my statement. It was no surprise that he'd been expecting something much, much different than that. Hell, the whole Digital World was. "Where are you going?" Even his tone was stunned beyond recognition. There had almost never been a time that I let an opportunity to fight, to argue, pass me by without so much as a glance in its direction. The Light Warrior knew that, and in this situation, wasn't sure that it was a very good thing.

I knew there was nothing that he or anyone else could do to stop me from going after Duskmon; my mind was made up. So, I saw no point in hiding my reason for such a quick escape from his presence. "I'm going to find Duskmon. I'll kill him, and you'll see that Raveamon is not going to control me. That's how Zoe sunk her claws into you; she convinced you that a rotten creature like me can't do anything right, that I'll oppose you if the enemy offers me as much power as my body can contain. I'll destroy him so you'll see that if my destiny was to oppose you, all of you would've been gone far before now, and that I'm here to do the duty that AncientRaiafemon left for me to: To protect you until the end of all of this, until the end of time and life itself." After I'd finished saying what couldn't hide in shadows any longer, I continued onward, back into the dark that Duskmon was hiding from me in.

But my poor confused Koji wouldn't leave it at that, and began to walk after me, calling out to me with a sense of urgency in his voice now that he knew of my plan. He knew how my mind worked; it my world, it was kill or be killed, and Duskmon was next on my list. Koji knew I would do whatever it took to prove myself to him, especially if it kept him and the other Warriors safe at the same time. "Don't do that, Toshiku!" He called to me, a hidden pleading in his tone that I detected at the first few words. "What if Raveamon wants you to do that? She might be planning to steal all of your energy away from you right before you're about to fight! What are you going to do then?"

"I'll deal with it and keep fighting like I'm supposed to." I replied instantly, not a moment of hesitation or silence between our voices. I could remember times when we used to be able to talk like that, except there had been gentleness in our tones, there had been love. Everything stopped inside me when that word came up, I almost physically halted, but it appeared to merely be a slight stumble and I continued onwards, though my mind was flipping out like never before.

I'd never used that word to describe what had gone on between Koji and I for all the months until now. But now, I wasn't even sure if that word even fit. Trust and honesty made up huge parts of love, and neither of those were qualities that I'd made clear I had. The lies were obvious to everyone nowadays, and that I knew. The lack of truth between us had taking a toll on the trust and hope we had in each other as well, and everyone knew that a house divided couldn't stand on its own. With all of this now in my mind, I knew for sure what I had to do to start fixing these bridges, and stop burning them.

Koji, however, didn't see the logic behind any of my statements whatsoever. Tugging on his short bangs with a growl of frustration that I'd never seen him do before, he started walking after me, gesturing for me to come back, at least to stop. "Toshiku! Wait, please don't!" I knew what I wanted to do. No matter what happened, something would become of it. If I was lucky and did the right things, maybe that something would be good. So I kept walking away from him.

When he saw that I didn't plan on stopping, or even turning around to say any kind of good-bye to him—if I thought that I wouldn't come back, maybe I wouldn't said something of the sort—so he played the card that I knew he hated to. But I wasn't giving him many other choices. "If you won't stay for us, then please, stay for the Digital World…Stay for WereGarumon, Toshiku!"

The mention of that name caused me to stop cold in my tracks, an ice suddenly covering my soul, but it wasn't the same as when Raveamon took hold of my heart. This always happened when I heard or even thought of WereGarumon, or anyone who I'd lost. It was the winter of depression, and I was always my weakest when the summer of vengeance and rage had ended. Koji knew it better than anyone, maybe even better than I did. And he kept pushing, knowing deep down that I would break eventually. _Try all you want, Koji. I won't fall to you anymore. Not even that child can hold me back from what must be done. _"…You remember when Bokomon said that we'd see him again; I know you do, even if you don't believe it. Now, just imagine those big green eyes filling with tears if I have to tell him that he's never going to see his mother again, that he's never going to get another hug exactly like the ones that you give, where you feel like nothing in the world, absolutely nothing, can ever hurt you as long as she's holding you…Can't you hear him crying?" My imagination had always been a curse to me, but never had it been worse than it was now, picturing the beautiful face of that little wolf pup damp with his doggish tears. It didn't matter that he wasn't really my kid in any way, except maybe through my Spirit Wereraiomon. He'd chosen me as his mother figure, and I'd failed him in the worst possible way.

I hadn't been able to save him from the ultimate torture: Dying on my behalf.

Not even Raveamon was strong enough to restrain the emotions that swept over me at the gloomy thoughts of my WereGarumon. The sadness and self-loathing struck me with a greater force than Taurumon could ever conjure. Knowing that with those scenes repeating themselves over and over in my mind there was no possible way I would be able to fight Duskmon and come close to winning, I stopped short of my next step and thrust my foot as hard into the closest tree, letting out a loud yell of frustrating and anger as it struck. The pain was nothing compared to what stormed inside of me.

As the memories continued to torment my mind, they began to take a toll on my physical strength and not just my psyche, and I dropped to my knees, burying my face in my hands as sobs began to build up in my throat. I could feel the tips of my ears heating, beginning to turn a hue of red for the embarrassment of crying. I'd never cried like this in front of Koji before, maybe that was why. Or was this just another one of Raveamon's awful tricks, attempting to control my emotions yet again?

But I knew, deep within my soul, that there were a few ways that I could show how I truly felt inside in a way that Raveamon couldn't control. Swallowing the sobs that threatened me so, I listened to the sweet hum of the dark night air, allowing my voice to melt and twist itself into the notes and rivets that the wind made. " If I wasn't here tomorrow, would anybody care? If my time was up, I'd wanna know you were happy I was there. If I wasn't here tomorrow, would anyone lose sleep? If I wasn't hard and hollow, then maybe you would miss me.

" I know I'm a mess, and I wanna be someone, someone that I'd like better. I can never forget, so don't remind me of it forever…What if I just pulled myself together? Would it matter at all? What if I just try not to remember? Would it matter at all? All the chances that have passed me by, would it matter if I gave it one more try? Would it matter at all?

" If I wasn't here tomorrow, would anybody care? Still stuck inside this sorrow, I've got nothing and going nowhere. I know I'm a mess, and I wanna be someone, someone that I'd like better. I can never forget, so don't remind me of it forever…What if I just pulled myself together? Would it matter at all? What if I just try not to remember? Would it matter at all? All the chances that have passed me by, would it matter if I gave it one more try? Would it matter at all?

" I know I'm a mess, and I wanna be someone, someone that I'd like better. Can you help me forget? Don't wanna feel like this forever…forever…What if I just pulled myself together? Would it matter at all? What if I just try not to remember? Would it matter at all? All the chances that have passed me by, would it matter if I gave it one more try?

" If I live tomorrow, would anybody care? Stuck in this sorrow, going nowhere? All the chances that have passed me by, would it matter if I gave it one more try? Would it matter at all…? " I couldn't hold the tears back any longer, and soon I found myself racked with pain as I wept to bitterly I could barely find a moment to steal a breath of oxygen. But I didn't even care that I couldn't breathe. Wouldn't it be better that way anyways? _No, because then your enemies would go after your friends. You have a purpose to be alive, so find it._

With my face buried in my hands, my sobs were softened slightly, though they were still evident. I didn't notice when Koji came up and knelt by my side, though he remained silent and lost in thought. It was obvious that he didn't know what to say after all that had happened, and that now he knew most of my anxiety had come from worrying over him and him alone. I was sure that he didn't know what to say about that, and now the fact that my mind thought that the only possible way to keep him with me was to, in his eyes, attempt to kill myself.

There really wasn't much you could say to comfort someone when that was the problem.

He reached out to put an arm around me, but hesitated, recalling how Raveamon had taken control of me without hardly any warning. But then his heart won despite the better judgment of his mind, and he wrapped his arm around me shoulders, drawing me closer to him as a sign that it would be okay. That he still cared about me more than he would ever feel for Zoe, although, he wouldn't—and didn't—say that. "…We should go back," I knew that he meant Takuya and the others would think that we ran into Duskmon, or maybe Takuya would get so worked up about thinking Duskmon had gotten us that he'd go looking for us and find Duskmon himself.

I nodded in agreement, knowing that if we didn't get back soon, one of them would suggest searching and they'd run into someone that they couldn't defeat by themselves, at least not without my or Koji's help. Hopefully Raveamon would still be 'sleeping' during that time, though, and I would actually be able to help without hurting one of them first. Or at any time during the battle, for that matter.

With Koji's gentle hand guiding me, I got to my feet and the four of us—Koji, me, Bokomon, and Neemon—headed back towards the cavern, with me trying to help by taking one of the buckets from Bokomon so he only had one he had to carry. Though the expression he showed when I turned to assist him was one of astonishment and concern, something that I hadn't seen since the last time that I'd lost control of Raveamon, the day after Sentimon's Beast Spirit attacked me. The same look was plastered on Neemon's face as well. It was clear that both of them had been extremely frightened by what had just gone on between Koji and me.

When we finally got back to the cave-like structure, all of us sat down by the fire. The Light Boy was within reach, just in case he had any need to make a sudden grab me and put an end to anything I might try to do. For some reason, it was nice to know that there was someone there, someone that could save me from Satan. I didn't want to be on his side, and being the general of his army was no longer what I wanted in this world. But to the dark, it didn't matter what I wanted out of my life. The only thing that mattered was the power that I had and the will to do whatever my lord wanted. For all that evil was concerned, I was already in league with Satan.

Zoe and JP were already there, though they didn't say anything about our late return, even though Takuya and Tommy were the last ones to come back. They appeared to have something hidden up their sleeves, and also something in Tommy's hat as well since it had a lot more bulges in it than it usually did when it was on his head. Takuya had a wickedly I'm-so-proud-of-myself-I-could-just-hug-my-shadow-if-it-wasn't-too-dark-to-see-it grin on his face, making the suspicion of what was in Tommy's hat that much greater. I pretended to stare into the fire, but kept my eyes on them, wary of what was on the Flame Boy's mind this time.

I watched in slight awe and puzzlement as the two of them set out a few doll-like things that appeared to be made from some kind of coconut-type food, which had also been put into a little pile near the fire where anyone could reach out and take a few. The doll things were apparently supposed to be us, at least our Beast Spirit forms—I could tell by the way that some of them looked. It was actually quite surprising how well Takuya and Tommy had made them, though it seemed like Tommy would've been more the creator of the figures than Takuya.

But they weren't doll-like. They were pawns in a battle plan, as Takuya was about to explain as he motioned for us to come over where he had set all of the figurine things. I rose along with them and came over, though I kept a fair amount of distance between me and the little platform that the battle scene would take place on. Koji, however, was the only one who kept his place by the fire. There was a skeptical expression on his face that he had quite often, but this one was much more severe, deadly serious. I knew why, though I tried my hardest to keep it from entering my thoughts at full-throttle.

As I neared the group, I realized that I'd missed a lot more of what they'd been saying as I'd once thought. Takuya was right in the middle of speaking as I came up to see what he'd plotted out. "…So let's get back to _my_ idea!" He began to lay out all of the figurines as he unveiled each of our positions, including which Spirit evolution we would be in. "Okay, so once _I've _stopped him, everyone will Beast Spirit evolve, then MetalKabuterimon and Korikakumon will move in. Zephrymon and KendoGarurumon will sneak up on his flank, and when I give the signal, Wereraiomon will pounce from the shadows to surprise him, and we'll all attack!" He knocked the Duskmon figure over with a look of triumph on his face as if he were as good as beaten. "And that's that. So, any questions?"

"Just one: When do we get going?" Seeming even more eager to do battle alongside the Warrior of Flame, Tommy was the first to comment on Takuya's newly made plan, even though it felt like a more organized form of what we usually did. I observed the little battlefield that was portrayed by the figurines with my fingers tapping absentmindedly at my chin, staying right in step with my thoughts. _How is Takuya ever going to stop him? Agunimon is just not strong enough. None of us are. Well, maybe…Raveamon…_

For the most part, Zoe was on Ice and Flame's side in this, though the display had been quite effective and convincing, mainly because Kanbara had seemed to know what he was talking about. But when did he ever not sound like that about a plan like this? "I'm in shock. That looks like it might really work!" Despite her words, there was a slight look of unsureness on her face, and I couldn't help but wonde3r if she was pondering the same thing that I was. _…Are we really all that different? We both want what's best for the group, and even fight over what that thing might be at times. If we're really so alike, then why do I hate her in this way? Is it really all because of the advances she's made on Koji right where I can see her attempts?_

"I don't know," JP was the only one so far to voice his own uncertainty about Takuya's battle plan, even though he wasn't the best one to put up the argument, his opinion might be enough to take a toll on Takuya's oversized ego and get him to look this problem in the eye for its true self. "There's still a couple of pretty big problems…" I knew where he was headed with one of those problems, and probably the others as well. One, for sure, involved my Spirit.

"What do you mean?" Takuya exclaimed, no end to the puzzlement in his voice, except for what was replaced by annoyance at JP's statement, and also the agreement that it brought about in most of us. "Where's there a problem?" I gave Takuya a hard stare of cold astonishment, though he pretended not to notice it. I could feel the fear deep inside of him, but he refused to believe in it, or even acknowledge it. He saw the flaws in his plan, but he ignored them for the sake of being strong. _He's just like me. Except he's not being controlled by an evil entity that's only using you to gain the power that she must rip away from you the moment you receive it. _

Zoe's previous thoughts hit her almost immediately, and she found the fight inside of her to voice her current worry, though her tone showed no sense of the feeling. There was too much doubt in Takuya himself for it to be considered anything along the lines of concern. "Oh yeah, just how do you plan on stopping Duskmon?" A slight sensation of wonder and enlightenment crossed my heart at her words. _We were thinking the same question. Does that mean that we really aren't complete opposites?_

"Yeah, he knocked you all over the place last time, and that was your Beast Spirit." JP continued further, attempting to convince Takuya further not to go through with this plan without thinking it over a bit more, which we all knew that he would never do, especially not in the state that he was currently in. He was in attack mode, and there was nothing that could switch him into defense now. Nothing could knock him down now, not a single kick in the teeth would do the job.

I'd been right; Takuya wasn't planning on backing down now, not while he thought he was a few steps ahead of the Warrior of Darkness. How he could be so sure about such a thing was incredible to me, and not necessarily in a good way. Duskmon had seemed far too clever to make a move that could allow any of us to outwit him. "Yeah? Well, last time I wasn't on guard, but this time I'll know what to expect!" My heart, even though every part of me was being controlled by Raveamon and nothing happened without her 'okay', pounded with concern and immeasurable fear for Takuya's safety, let alone all of the Warriors'.

I knew I had to step in and try to get him to see the truth, even if he would listen. I had to try. "Your confidence and courage aren't without envy, Takuya, but do you really know what you're talking about? You've seen how we do against him, and that doesn't plague your mind at all? How can you risk the lives of the Legendary Warriors on this plan that you came up with in a matter of minutes?" The sureness that Takuya had in his plan was evident on his face, and it didn't falter in the slightest at my words. That had been my fear.

The Warrior's voice was shrouded in his false bravery and irritation at the audacity I had for questioning him, our 'leader'. He was blind to the true meaning of my words, and his blindness would end up being his downfall in the end. "If you're referring to what happened with Raveamon, that was just a one-time thing, Toshi. It's not going to happen again today, or any other day for the rest of forever. You've got complete control back, and this is a good plan. I trust you, even if you don't trust yourself. I know that you won't hurt us. This plan cannot possibly fail—"

Takuya's too-good-to-be-true speech was cut short by another of the Warrior's voicing their opinion on his plan. And I was almost glad of who it was, knowing that if none of us could get through to Takuya, he might have a chance. "I don't like it." Koji's vocals cut through the air like a cold winter wind in the middle of summer, hitting Takuya with that same force. I hoped that he would be able to find the words to get Takuya to listen. Fear for the Legendary Warriors' safety was beginning to arise in me, and the feeble emotion's presence was alerting Raveamon's entity.

"Aw, what's the matter? Not enough running away for you?" Takuya taunted him, showing that he truly didn't understand this situation in the least bit. His mind had been smashed a lot worse than I'd thought after that last fight with Duskmon; I wasn't sure, but I had a feeling that this attitude had something to do with how easily the Warrior of Darkness had cast him aside during their battle. "I don't get it," His voice dropped to a mutter, though it was just loud enough for the Warrior of Light to be able to hear. "When did he become such a chicken?"

There was a calmness in Koji's tone, but a panic hide deep within his cobalt eyes, maybe due to the fact that he knew—given the chance—I would be out of here in a moment to go through with Takuya's plan of 'Attack all at once' solo. He knew I wouldn't obey his wish for me to stay here, to stay safe, for very long. Maybe that was why he spoke slowly and clearly, almost over annunciating each word, "Duskmon's different than anyone we've ever fought before. Instead of fighting, we should—"

"Wait!" Takuya exclaimed, suddenly seeing where Koji was going with what he'd just begun saying. It was clear that Takuya wasn't in the kind of state that would allow any of us to easily get him to see how much he was really risking by putting his entire hope, and all of us friends, into this plan. "You're not really going to suggest that we run away again, are you?" There was a small laugh at the end of Takuya's inquiry, making it seem as if he thought Koji was literally joking.

But his reply showed that he was anything but. "Yes, I am." Since he was still sitting by the fire and was currently behind him, I turned finally to look at him, which I'd tried not to do since he'd mentioned…WereGarumon. The numbness that Raveamon had endowed me with was becoming worse than ever, inside and out; it was getting harder and harder to tell if my heart was beating or if Raveamon was making me think that it was, or it my feet were touching the ground anymore. But that cold had been weakened by my knowledge of what was going on inside of Koji's mind.

Not only was he afraid for Takuya and what he might bring down upon himself, but I'd been correct when I'd assumed he was scared of what I might do if someone wasn't keeping an eye on me like a little child. If I hadn't known why he felt that way, then I would've taken that as an insult, but I knew better. It was all because of what I'd said about going after Duskmon on my own to prove to him that I was still the same Sentinel that had stolen a kiss from him what seemed like decades ago. His feelings for me were too strong for him to let me walk away now, though he'd never say that out loud. I doubted that he'd even be able to think of anything to say if I ever did decide to step away from him. From the light of this world, and the light of his heart.

Though not once had Koji raised his voice beyond what was called for, Takuya let out a scoff before saying in a loud, booming voice which grew into a shout as he continued, "You're pathetic! What makes you think that we'd be able to get away even if we wanted to?" Koji didn't say anything right away, though there was a definite anger in his gaze as he glared at Takuya, who didn't hesitate to send the look right back.

Tommy and the others had gone completely silent throughout the whole procession, but now the little Warrior of Ice spoke up in a quiet, tiny voice that begged the two of them to listen to him, "C'mon, don't fight!" But they ignored him, not even taking the time to glance at him. I knew that none of us could say or do anything to get around this conflict, and it would be best if we simply stayed out of it for once and let them get through it on their own.

Koji rose up from the ground by the campfire and, with his hands shoved in his pockets and a final glance at me that begged me to stay in the cavern with the others while he was gone, he started towards one of the corridors that made up this whole cavern. "Takuya, let's talk." His voice was dark and deep with frustration, that very emotion showing in his furrowed brow.

"Yeah, let's." Takuya agreed as he followed the ravenette into the dark. There was a much deeper rage in the Flame Warrior's voice than there had been in the Light Boy's, but it wasn't very hard to assume why. Takuya's mind was far too clouded with thoughts of the whole group being strong enough acting together to defeat Duskmon that he couldn't see that even though that was true, we needed knowledge of the enemy as well. Someone had to clear his mind before he got all of his fellow Warriors killed without even trying. _And there's still the issue with my own Spirits. What if Raveamon's evil has effected Wereraiomon and turned her against me and my friends as well? Then I've got no one to use to fight against Duskmon in Takuya's plan, if we go through with it in the end at all._

Tommy wasn't the only one with fear that he wasn't afraid to show for the two of them going off on their own with such aggravation in their hearts for each other. "Guys, don't do anything stupid!" Zoe cried after them, sounding as if she were on the verge of collapse. I almost wanted to ignore the fact that I held a deep loathing for her that was too complex for me to entirely understand and attempt to comfort her. Almost.

"Don't worry," Koji called back to them, though there wasn't much in his words that would stop those troubling thoughts from coming to any of our minds. I could see in JP, Tommy, and Zoe's faces—not to mention the Digimon—that they felt the same. "We're just going to talk." I knew that Koji could sense how the others were feeling, even though he tried to hide it; however, I wasn't as sure that Takuya could feel it. He obviously didn't show it.

"Yeah, if he's lucky that's all we'll do…" Takuya grumbled in a way that I could see the snarl on his face in my mind as he walked away. But it wasn't there for very long, since I knew that now that they were invisible to any of us in the darkness of the other part of the cavern, there was nothing that we could do. With that in my mind, I headed away from the light of the fire and towards the entrance of the cave, exiting it without a second glance back at the Warriors.

Out in the dark of the night, it was quiet and somehow serene, though there was truly nothing peaceful about the abnormal silence. There was a small, short breeze that blew my hair into my face every few minutes, but other than that there was no movement, and no sound. Nothing anywhere. And that made me uneasy. Silence, even in a forest such as this, meant something very bad was coming, and coming fast. I sat down near the entrance to the cavern, my back leaning up against one of the stones. _I'm waiting for you, Duskmon. There's no way you're getting another shot at them as long as I'm around._

A shudder rippled through my body as a cold voice, blacker than the dark that surrounded me on all sides, shattered the silence in my mind, though she was loud enough to have been sitting right next to me, _That can easily be changed, little Yumari. You must remember, you are no match for him, or for me. And, allow me to remind you…there's no telling when I'll assert my own will above your own. You will never be free again._

Slowly, I began to tremble violently, realizing what I never had before: As long as Raveamon was inside me, she had a direct link to me, and all of my friends. She could simply wait until they'd fallen asleep, and then use me as her puppet to destroy all of them without me even waking from my own sleep. I'd never imagined my own Human Spirit being the one enemy that WereGarumon may've been talking about, or had he meant Rowloamon all along?

If he had meant the Owl Warrior, then she had to have been playing with me all of the times that she tried to convince me that she was tired of all of Cherubimon's tricks and sick games, because once you were in, you couldn't just leave like that. But Cherubimon might not know of how she felt about all that he and his minions did, and that was why he hadn't destroyed her yet. However, I'd seen that very Digimon put an end to my Ancient Spirit, and that summed all of her intentions up into lies, no matter what. Another Digimon couldn't have just faked that image to make me think she was my enemy…could they've?

And if WereGarumon had been talking about Raveamon after all of this time, how could he possibly have known that my Human Spirit had the tainted darkness in her soul? Did all Digimon have a special sense for that kind of thing when it came to their friends or something? Though, that didn't explain why he hadn't told me earlier, because if it was a serious thing that would end up risking everyone's lives then he would've told me the moment that he sensed it, not before he was about to leave me forever.

Nothing made any sense.

I let out a sigh of confusion and frustration as I leaned my head back to look up at the sky that was too dark even for the stars to shine through. But as my eyes dropped back down to the ground, a flash of red in the trees caught my eye. At first I thought it was just another Pipismon, but then I recalled how someone else's eyes had shimmered in such a way in such a deep, impending dark. _Yabai! _I leapt to my feet without missing a beat, feeling my every movement intertwine with the pounding of my heart, though there was nothing scared about the drum beat.

I was ready to take that _rokudenashi _down a peg or two.

Hardening my outer and inner self to be like solid stone, I gazed into the red glow as his form dropped down from the tree and landed with expert skills in a straight line before me, only bounds away if I were to evolve to Wereraiomon. He let out a mocking laugh at the way I stood fearlessly before him. "You don't really expect to be able to do anything against me, do you? You saw what you could be on my side of the playing field, and that's nothing compared to what you could further enhance yourself to be. What do you think you'll be able to do without Cherubimon's power infused within you?"

I let out a deafening growl in reply, a snarl crossing my lips as I yanked my D-Tector from my belt, the multiple bands of data surrounding the flesh of my fisted hand. "Why should I tell you," Slashing my hand across the little tab on my D-Tector that crossed my DNA with Wereraiomon's, I felt the pure, reckless strength surge through me just as it had the very first day that I'd been fused with her soul. "When I can show you!" Letting out another immensely ear-splitting howl—I didn't realize that such a sound would alert the others in the cavern—I slammed my heavy paws into the ground and charged Duskmon, mouth agape in a threatening snarl and deep growls and grunts echoing from deep within my throat.

Nearing Duskmon quickly, I leapt up into the air, and came down at him with my claws ready to tear him to pieces, but I was distracted for a half second when I heard someone shout for me. "Toshiku!" It was Tommy calling out to me. "Stop! Come back, Toshiku!" But it was too late for me to do what he wished, even if I intended to. And that small second that I lost my focus in nearly cost me my life. Duskmon drew both of his swords, and if I hadn't snapped back into attention, he would've stabbed me directly in the heart. Luckily for me, I had just enough time to swat at him and knock him away before he got the chance.

I dropped back to the ground in a crouched position, already prowling around him like a lioness, though my thick muscles made it hard to make myself small and inconspicuous like the lions could. But I didn't mind. My thick fur and muscles would make it hard for Duskmon to plant an effective attack, let alone one that would severely damage me.

Circling him like he was prey, and faked little rushes at him, though none of them seemed to faze him. Duskmon's gaze never left me, and not one of my movements went by without his eyes following it. I'd known from the start that he was attentive in a battle, but this was incredible. Although, his extreme attention didn't deter my hope; I was faring pretty well against him, maybe I had a chance.

That feeble dream was swept from my mind, teaching me immediately never to let my confidence grow beyond the next move.

I could feel Raveamon trying desperately to break through the barrier that Wereraiomon's evolution had built, but there wasn't much that she could do until the beast lost more of her power, and that wouldn't happen unless Duskmon rendered me completely helpless. As I went through with one of my 'false' charges at the Warrior of Darkness, I learned that that was exactly what he planned to do, and there was practically nothing standing between him and that goal.

Just as I was about to slice him into bite-sized pieces, Duskmon used my strength against me and slashed his sword straight through one of the pads of my paws, making me let out an agonized cry. I pulled away from him immediately, and made another attempt to go after him, this time with my jaws open wide and ready to snap closed around him. But the Warrior in black showed no fear against my sharp teeth, and, after returning one of the blood-red swords into his hand, slammed a fist into the side of my head hard enough to send me sliding across the ground and into a tree, snapping the trunk and knocking it over in the process.

I tried to force myself back up onto my feet, and was just about to rise shakily to my feet when I was sent back down to the ground with a final smack to the head by Duskmon's heavy fist. From the ground, I made an attempt to turn my head and close my jaws around him, but he almost seemed to have been expecting that used my attack against me yet again, this time grabbing hold of my bottom jaw and flipping me over, sending me slamming into the ground with a loud thud. But I was able to slash my saw-sharp claws against him as I fell back to the dirt below. He let out a cry of pain, and in retaliation swung his sword and left a deep cut that had just barely missed my eye.

There was still a hell of a lot of fight left inside of me, and I gave standing up one more shot. Duskmon must've sensed that all of these previous strikes had been agonizing to me, but would never be enough to keep me down for more than a few seconds, maybe a minute or more at the most. He then made it clear that he was ready to finish me. "You're much stronger than I've given you credit for, Toshiku Yumari. And it's a shame that such wondrous power has been wasted on a being such as yourself. It truly is a pity." Without another word, he let loose another punch to my muzzle, knocking me back down to the ground, and before I could get back up, he stabbed his sword deep into my body, my armor-like fur and muscles doing practically nothing against the sharp metal.

The pain burned like a wildfire inside of my skin, and I let out a deafening howl of pain that rivaled the shouts of the group, and by the sound of it they were in their Beast forms. Before they could get to him, the Warrior of Darkness twisted the sword inside of me, causing another whine of pain to emit from my vocals before he removed the burning red metal from me, just in time to be tackled away from me by Agunimon.

I laid there without so much as a breath coming in or out of me as blood began to pool around me, my precious data threatening to show, offering Raveamon a chance to overtake me. But she didn't, and instead she used this moment to mock me. _It's almost humorous, little girl, how you thought that you would be able to defeat my brother. You lost yourself in dreams that told you that you were strong enough the way that you were, but I know that now you realize that that was exactly what they were all along: Dreams, and dreams alone. _

_The only way for you to truly become stronger is known to you, and always has been. We've proven to you that it is Lord Cherubimon alone that gives invincibility, and eternal power. You know that I am not lying when I promise you this: Repent of your crimes against Cherubimon, abandon the Warriors, and forsake the Digital World, and all that you've ever wanted will be given to you. All of your wishes shall be attended to. I sear it on Lord Lucemon himself. Just do that which I've asked you, and you will never have to worry about not having enough power._

I let out a small whine of agony as I tried to rise to my feet, which I succeeded in with much effort and so much pain that I thought for a moment I was going to fall into unconsciousness. As I scanned the battlefield, I saw KendoGarurumon, Zephrymon, MetalKabuterimon, and Korikakumon completely surrounding Duskmon, who was being held in place (Kinda) by Agunimon. They were going through with Takuya's plan after all; I had to take my place in it, or Duskmon may not be defeated.

Moving with a heavy limp, my whole body racked with pain with every step that I took, I made my way to the sidelines of the battle, right in line to rush forward and take my attack on Duskmon. I crouched down slightly, readying myself for the final attack. As I waited for Agunimon to give the signal for us to strike, I gathered all of the power that I could from the Ten Verres on the collar that always hung around my neck, whether I was human, Raveamon, or even Wereraiomon. Now that I had all ten, I hoped that that would make a difference in my Mondlicht Menschenwolf attack, like it had when I used it against all of my other enemies.

I could feel the heat of the fire burning away that of the pain, and the ice and water working as one to cool it and numb it away. The soft breeze ruffled my fur, scraping some of the drying and already dried blood from my coat, and mixing it in with the earth below me, now becoming like fertilizer for the trees around me. The chill of the scarlet steel that had pierced me was now gone, the brightness of the light within me chasing it away from me, and the darkness hiding me from the pain that tried desperately to come back. And when Agunimon finally did give the signal for us to attack, I sprang from the undergrowth with a roar as booming and strong as thunder, as if I'd never even battle Duskmon before this final strife.

I slammed into him at the same time as all of the other attacks, and both of us were surrounded by a mix of all kinds of colors as if the attacks had dyed the very atmosphere. After my energy transferred into him, I leapt from the perimeter of the strikes so I wouldn't take any of the damage that was rightfully his, and stood near Agunimon to watch as Duskmon was obliterated. But both of our hopes of his destruction crashed and burned when the colors began to fade, all of them seeping into Duskmon, the Dark Warrior letting out a short yell as they were finally absorbed into him.

I couldn't even hear what Agunimon exclaimed as Duskmon turned to face us, a deep loathing for the both of us there in his scarlet, bloody red eyes. Moving at the speed of lightning, he appeared in front of Agunimon, and said with a voice like death itself, "You shall be first." There was nothing more frightening than hearing those words come from an enemy with such power, especially when it wasn't to you, the Guardian of the Great Ones. It was at that very moment, as Duskmon was raising his sword to end Agunimon once and for all, that I realized what my purpose in this world, right now, truly was.

To die for the Legendary Warriors.

Accepting that fate without a second thought, not even listening to what Raveamon tried to convince me of, I shoved Agunimon out of the way instantly, knocking him head over heels away from Duskmon, but putting myself directly in line to be struck by Duskmon's bloody sword. I felt no remorse for what I had to do, because Takuya was part of my family here, along with Tommy, Zoe, and JP, not to mention Koji, who would always be part of me. We weren't just defenders of the Digital World, we were a big, dysfunctional, and sometimes happy family.

But it wasn't I who felt the sting of his blade. It was the very being who I'd nearly died for time and time again, and for once wasn't the one that I was protecting. My heart stopped beating, my soul silenced as if someone had stolen it away from me, leaving me empty like a rotten carcass. A void that pained me to the point of de-spirit evolving opened in me as the name resounded in my ears like silver bells, just like it always had, "Koji!"

The white wolf had leapt in front of me just before Duskmon was about to land the attack, and he'd taken it for me. KendoGarurumon fell to the ground, being surrounded by the data as he hit the ground, and became my little angel of light again. Now back in my fragile human form, I dropped to my knees beside him, and pulled the Light Warrior gently into my arms, holding him tightly to me.

Bitter tears came to my eyes as I saw the agony on his face, reminding me of the day that he'd been taken by Obstimon. I tried to blink away the tears, but that only made them fall from my eyes to the ground below, some of them dripping instead onto Koji's yellow shirt, while the rest slide down my face. Holding Koji close to me, I whispered loud enough for him to hear if he could, "I'm here, Koji…" The tears came faster and faster, more falling as time went by and Koji didn't open his eyes. "Koji! Please, wake up! Koji, I'm sorry. This is my fault, I shouldn't have—I—Oh, Koji, I'm so sorry!" I hugged him to me tenderly, promising him with my presence that I wouldn't let him go until I saw that he would wake up. I wouldn't leave until I knew he was alright, I never would.

But I wasn't the only one who was troubled by what Koji had done. "K-…Koji?" Duskmon began to back away from the both of us, but now my teary eyes were on him, watching with confusion at what he was doing, but fully prepared to sacrifice my human body to protect Koji while he was in this state. Though, it seemed that Duskmon wasn't in the state of mind to make an attack. "What…What is this? What is happening?" With a cry that made it sound as if he were in pain, Duskmon crossed his arms over his chest and as he began to let out another loud yell, a deep black fog began to emit from him, rapidly shrouding the whole area in the thick darkness. Soon I couldn't even see Koji there in my arms; I couldn't even feel him there.

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Well, I hope you guys liked it! I had a pretty good time writing it, and got all kinds of inspiration for writing in it from a couple of songs by Papa Roach, Stone Sour, and Skillet. The song that Toshiku sung while talking to Koji by that little river thingy had been Would It Matter by Skillet, which I thought matched her pretty well. Please let me know what you guys thought of it, and hopefully Chapter 22 will be out a heck of a lot quicker than this one was. Oh, and just so you guys know, there's going to be an awful lot of fighting parts so it might be a bit shorter than my usual chapters, but that might be a nice change of pace, haha! Feel free to ask questions if there was something you didn't get; there are a couple of things in most of my chapters that don't make a heck of a lot of sense so I'll try to answer as best I can. So, with that said, _sayonara_!


	24. Chapter 22: Breaking Inside

This chapter got done a lot faster than I thought it would. But I guess that's a good thing. I didn't put any songs in this chapter, or add any other Japanese phrases or anything-I'm going to have to start putting that info in the author's notes since I didn't post in the Info Guide at the right time, so it won't work for me *laugh*...I'm not sure if I told you that or not but now I do, heh. Hopefully 23 comes out just as fast as this one, and just so you guys know, there's a big twist that you might not especially like in 23. It's kinda sad, and I've been planning it for a while. Same with this chapter, but now that it's done, I'm looking forward to the next. Well, enough of my babbling, and on to the chapter! Please read and review!

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Chapter 22: Breaking Inside

As I started to awaken, the pain brought on from all of Wereraiomon's severe wounds hit my fragile human body like bricks. I held my sides and doubled over until the throbbing began to subside, though it hadn't gone entirely by the time I forced myself staggeringly onto my feet. For a moment, the pain was so bad I thought I was going to pass out—or throw up, and then pass out. But as time went by and neither of the two happened, and the worst that did was that blood had begun to drip from my mouth, I assumed that I was okay enough to get some more distance in towards the Rose Morning Star.

When my eyes had opened, I knew immediately that I was alone, or I would've seen someone at that exact moment, I always did. This time, there was no one, but I knew that I had a good chance of meeting up with them again if I could just make it to the Rose Morning Star like Ophanimon had told us so long ago. The Legendary Warriors were sure to go there; they wouldn't ignore something that Ophanimon had said after traveling so far to go there already.

_But what if they don't want to see me again? Especially after all that I've done to them… _I'd imagined that thought before, but it had never seemed more real to me than it did now. I'd fought against them on so many occasions, it was incredible that they'd allowed me to remain in their presence for this long, why would they even think about letting me come back to them? It had been mere luck on both my and Wereraiomon's part that Raveamon hadn't been able to get to our minds. And it wasn't just Raveamon's strives that had failed this time.

Takuya's plan, despite how right he was about the strength that we had when we worked together as one, had ceased to succeed, and succumbed to Duskmon's brute power. The Warrior of Darkness seemed unbeatable now more than ever, and it made me sick to my stomach. I'd faced beings that appeared without weakness before, but I'd never been anxious about fighting them because I felt that I and my Spirits were one enough to be able to win, no matter what. But now…I wasn't even sure that I could trust Wereraiomon, or even my friends' Spirits. How were any of us supposed to know who was friend or foe when both could hide their true colors so easily? Raveamon had been part of me for years, and never had I once thought she would leave my side.

I'd tried to keep her chained within me for as long as I could to buy me enough time to figure this out, but there would never be enough time, because I couldn't control her anymore. I couldn't hold her down, because she was the one in charge of when we fought, and when we stood on the sidelines. I was the one in her chains, the chains that had held my humanoid Digital Monster in her cage. But now…I was the monster.

But it wasn't just our places that had made me begin to picture myself as a demonic creature, not even worthy to be called human any more. All kinds of signs had been sent to warn me of Raveamon, but not once did I ever take one to heart, never did I truly think about what they could mean. If I had, then maybe I would be alone in this dark, cold place, my soul and heart the same as my demon of a Human Spirit: Cold, desolate, and senseless. The very essence of evil.

All this time, she'd been on Cherubimon's side, and not once did I notice anything that pointed to it. There was no way that I could be that blind; deep inside, Raveamon had been able to change the side that I was on, even if I didn't know it. Within the recesses of my mind, the parts of me that I couldn't see, I was as good as a traitor to the Legendary Warriors, to the Digital World and all of its inhabitants. Even if I thought that I was still loyal to all of them, to everything that was good and right in the universe, in their eyes, I was an enemy, the same as everyone else that had opposed them, had meant them any harm.

I meant nothing to them.

Knowing that this was true was torture to me now that the only thing that I could feel was my pride, honor, and loyalty. All of them had been ripped away from me as these mental, spiritual battles had commenced, and now…I felt nothing but the cold numbness that Raveamon had set upon me. From the first moment that she'd begun to steal my life away, I'd been nothing but her host, slowly turning into a lifeless puppet, her little zombie. Scum of the Digital World.

My heart had long since stopped beating within me; it now belonged to Raveamon, pounding for her, driving life through her veins, no longer offering saving blood to me. But I couldn't blame all of my darkness on Raveamon, much more than half of it was me, all me. Everything, actually, had been conjured by my sick, twisted, malicious mind, Raveamon had only set my thoughts into action. I'd wanted to make the Legendary Warriors hurt like I had when lost another being that I loved and they seemed so emotionless. I wanted to blame them for my failures and my weakness; it was because of them that I'd had to come to this world, and I'd made so many bad choices that had ended innocent lives. Many of them.

I'd even been the cause of Seraphimon's death, and there was no telling if his egg would actually hatch at all. I hadn't listened to him when he'd said I had to be careful, and while he ended up dead, I fell into the very thing that he'd warned me about. But I was far too late to save him, just as I had been for WereGarumon. If I'd just been the slightest bit faster, if I could've gotten him out of the way faster than I had…maybe he would be alright.

Nothing he could've done would've made me let him come with us into this place though, so he would've have seen me turn into this monster, only how ill I'd seemed before I left him. But that only reminded me of what Koji had said. _'How am I going to tell him that he'll never get to see you again? Can't you hear him crying?' Yes, Koji. I can. I always do. _That's one of the many voices I'd hear crying when I fell into the depths of hell, I'd hear everyone that I hurt, everyone that I loved.

When night passed over the skies above me on days that Raveamon had taken control of me, I knew that I could hear Daijiro sobbing with agony, with depression and confusion. I'd heard those cries each day that I'd hurt him before the car accident. Back then, I didn't think once about what I was doing to him, how my actions would scar him for the rest of his life, maybe even drive him to do this to others, or even self-mutilation. But, in the end, he didn't love long enough for me to ever know.

He was the one that haunted me the most, and was the one that I spent the most time with when my family was in the hospital. Tears fell from my eyes every time that I came to see him, because each time I tried desperately to get him to make some kind of sign to me that he could hear me when I told him over and over again that there wasn't enough sorrow in the world for how sorry I was for what I'd done to him. I knew not to ask for him to forgive me; that was the one thing I knew he'd never say to me. He could tell me he loved me, but I knew that he could never forgive me. Even though that was the way it was, it still killed me, made me want to die.

I caught myself wishing to see him again so that I could tell him again that there wasn't anything I wouldn't do to make it up to him. I'd make myself bleed, I'd tear myself apart, rip my body and soul into pieces, anything that would make it up to him, though nothing could earn his forgiveness, nothing would bring him back. Not even if I killed myself, even that wouldn't be enough. I wasn't worth enough to make a difference.

"You meant enough to AncientRaiafemon for her to make those Spirits for you,"

I stopped so quickly that I nearly fell over my own feet; searching the skies and everything around me for the source of the voice, I saw Rowloamon float down from the blackened skyline. She didn't make any advances towards me and showed no want to fight me, she didn't even seem to want to be near me. That puzzled me more than her having shown up at all. Before I could inquire about her sudden appearance, she continued with what she'd been saying when she alerted me of her presence, "She didn't have to give them to you; if she hadn't, she'd still be walking the ground of this world, and all that time she would be haunted, knowing how much pain you'd go through during your recovery, if you did at all. For all either of us know, you could've become part of Cherubimon's mob.

"But if he hadn't taken you like he did with so many others, then you wouldn't have had Raveamon as your Spirit, or Wereraiomon, for that matter. You would have two other Spirits, and maybe not even of the Moon Element. Everything would have changed, and no one lives would be quite right," Looking me directly in the eyes with her own, dark and gentle now, despite how evil she appeared and acted at times, a small smile crossed over her lips, as if it pleased her to be the one to tell me this. "Without you, nothing would be the way it's supposed to be; this world, and yours, would be all wrong, and so would everyone in it. Because of you, everything is exactly the way it's supposed to be. An exact replica of how destiny had planned it to be."

Her smile, along with all that she'd just said, perplexed me beyond my mental capacity. First off, how the hell had she known what I was thinking? And second, why was she trying to convince me otherwise? She was an enemy of mine, not a friend, and only friends worked to build you up, opponents only strived to drag you down as they fell. This didn't make any sense—either that, or my whole world was beginning to scramble itself up. "…Why are you saying this to me, Rowloamon? You're on Cherubimon's side, and you—"

"_Was_ on Cherubimon's side," She clarified, cutting off my reasoning completely. A grin that made it seem like she was going to laugh aloud crossed her lips when she saw the look of puzzlement that was obvious on my face. The Owl Warrior raised her hands in a shrug that had nothing more to say than what she could think of to tell me. "Everyone changes their minds about something at least once in their lives, Toshiku. Sometimes it's about important things like destroying the world, or fighting with all of your soul to save it, or it's about little things like which sock goes best with which, or if it should remain with its copy no matter what." I stared at her incredulously, like she'd just slapped me in the face with a rotting fish. _…What has this birdbrain been smoking? _

A snarl crossed my face and a low growl emitted from my throat as I stepped in Rowloamon's direction. Threats were in every move that I made, and somehow, I reminded myself of Raveamon just by existing in this state. "You honestly think that I'm going to _kusomaimashii_ trust you just because you say that you've changed sides? Your mind's been turned to mush, or something! Give me some proof, then I'll believe you—"

"There's no reason that I can give you that she'll let you believe, Toshiku." The fearsomeness faded from my face at her words, everything about what she's said shocking me. She knew what was going on with me. She knew. "But I'm running out of time for mere conversation like this—" This_ is conversation? If this is normal chit-chat, I'd hate to see when you're pissed off at somebody._ "—Time is of the essence. I can sense that you've discovered most of the puzzle that you've been trapped in, but there is a part of it that you've overlooked completely: Raveamon's ultimate form.

"You've experienced first-hand how incredible Cherubimon's power—combined with AncientRaiafemon's—has made Raveamon. She's practically invincible, and that's exactly what she is. There's only one thing that she's missing before she can become unbeatable, and you need to make sure that that doesn't happen—" She shook her head with disbelief for what she was doing, as if she just realized how big of a mistake she may've just made. But I didn't understand. "There's a large chance that I could've just condemned us all by coming to make you aware of this, but if I don't tell you myself, you'll never know how to keep her the way that she is—the only form she can take that you'll ever be able to defeat her in."

Everything about Rowloamon became deadly serious, and all that was around us grew eerily quiet, as if it were waiting to hear what she would say as well as I was. Taking another step back from me, she finally explained the reason for her having come to me, "The only way that Raveamon can become invincible is to absorb the Key Data, a Digimon whose power is nothing compared to hers, but when merged with hers, will become greater than anything that has ever been seen in action before—" It was my turn to interrupt now.

"But who's the key to her next evolution, Rowloamon?" I shouted to her, praying that she would tell me. If I didn't know while Raveamon did, then I wouldn't have any idea that I would be putting both myself and everyone that was around me at that moment in all kinds of danger. Everything would be at risk if that power source fell into her grasp.

A look of slight sadness passed over Rowloamon's dark eyes, but faded almost as fast as it had come and was replaced by what appeared to be something similar to a sense of meaning. Rowloamon's sole purpose for living. "I am the key to her next form, and that is why you've never been strong enough to defeat me when I used to fight you, Toshiku. Because Raveamon knew it wasn't time for her to take my data, so she stole some of your power for a little while so you couldn't best me. But now—" She stopped short of her next few words when her gaze fell upon one of my hands, making me look as well, and what I saw horrified me.

Talons had replaced my human nails.

As I stared down at my hands with terror, a sudden ripping sound reverberated not only in my ears, but mingled with my sudden scream of anguish as long, thick black-feathered wings tore through my skin and my shirt. They felt much heavier than they usually did, and when they began to droop, I saw why: Blood soaked every feather, dripping from them as if I were some kind of monster in a horror movie. I felt something wet rolling down my cheeks, and thought for a moment that it was a tear, but when I looked at my hand to make sure, the liquid was red. _The scarlet tear marks on Raveamon's face! They're not trails left by real tears; the blood of her enemies colors her irises. She cries their blood._

Nothing else changed about me after my eyes, and part of me—at least, what was left of me—was pretty sure that I wouldn't have been able to handle any more of this anyways. A deep, maniacal laughter echoed from within me, and Raveamon's taunting voice spoke up from within me. _You said that you thought of yourself as a despicable monster that was meant to be held fast by chains in a cage. Now, you are. Happy? _Her laughter was like pure torment to me, and I wished desperately for a way to block the sound from getting to my ears, but how can you stop that which comes from inside you?

While more blood began to run down my face, I looked to Rowloamon, my eyes pleading for her help. I didn't know what else to do. I had to admit that I needed someone to help me; I couldn't do it on my own like I used to think. I needed a hero. "…Help me, please…! I can't—" _Get her data for me, Toshiku. Now._ There was nothing I could do to stop myself; Raveamon was in control. With the blood continually falling from my eyes, some beginning to dribble out of the corner of my mouth from my wounds, I started forward, my blood dripping off of my wings as I advanced.

Seeing that I couldn't stop, Rowloamon began to back up as well, thinking as swiftly as she could to find a way to take me down, without hurting my delicate human body, which Raveamon had been clever enough not to change out of. "Toshiku, you have to listen to me! You don't want to do this, you're better than this! I knew what she's been telling you, and I'm here to put an end to it all. Everything she's ever said has been lies—she's been fooling you all this time! Please listen, you are better than what she's reduced you to! Toshi—"

"There's only one way I can be better, and I know you know what I'm talking about Rowloamon. Lord Cherubimon made you only to sate my lust for all the strength I can contain, and you've known it from the beginning of your life," While my eyes never left Rowloamon's form, a hand that I wasn't in control of rose, the palm facing the Owl Warrior. I couldn't even say that these limbs, this flesh, bone, or muscle, were mine anymore. Because they weren't.

A faint, dark light began to shine from the very palm of the outstretched hand, and the same hued light began to emit from all over Rowloamon's body, molding around her like concrete, and working in pretty much the same way. After a few seconds, though she struggled greatly, my fellow Sentinel had been immobilized. It was hard to believe that Raveamon had hidden all of these abilities from me while she was my Spirit.

When I was finally standing directly before her, I halted, and stared squarely into Rowloamon's black eyes. I'd never thought about it before, but she was a Sentinel like me, because we all had one thing in common: In the end, we did the right thing, no matter how badly we'd screwed up. But was I going to be the one to break that streak? Would that one thing be completely shattered by the mistakes that I'd made?

But that alikeness wasn't much of a stop sign. After a momentary glance at my sharp talons, I turned back to Rowloamon, and drove my hand claws-first into the Warrior's stomach. She let out a loud wail of pain, her eyes closing tightly as I closed my fist around one of her organs, and tore it out as I yanked my hand from inside of her. I stared thoughtfully at the blood on my hand, wondering to myself how a being that was made of data could have blood and organs such as this, but it felt like something I'd wondered about before, and I let it pass from my mind like you forget a dream as you wake.

"You cared too much; that's your problem. If you hadn't cared for this human, she would've be suffering right now, and you wouldn't be about to die. You sold out the Digital World, Rowloamon, and all you were trying to do was help Toshiku save it," A mocking, devious grin crossed my face at the sorrow of it all. It was so beautiful, the torment that everyone had to go through. "It's pitiful, really. But not enough for me to spare you; I could never say no to an offer such as this. Ultimate supremacy doesn't walk into existence every day." With that as the last thing that she'd ever hear, I slashed my talons across the fresh wound, and her data caught on my fingertips, wrapping around me as it spun away from Rowloamon like she was an old sweater being ripped apart thread by thread.

Chills rippled through me violently as Rowloamon finally disappeared completely, and I could feel that Raveamon's hold on me was beginning to fade slightly, enough for me to be able to take control of my thoughts again for a little while. I could hardly believe that I'd been so weak as to give Raveamon the chance to take Rowloamon's precious data when she'd come to try and help me, and how I'd been used as the Raven Sentinel's puppet to retrieve said data. It made me sick, and my loathing for myself and Raveamon grew immensely. If there was only something I could do to take a stand against Raveamon…

But what could I do?

I couldn't fight her while she was harbored within me, and there really was no way to draw her out of me, because the only time she did that was when she was taking control of me, and that was the only time that I could fight her myself. There wasn't anything that I could say to convince her that she would be better off with me instead of Cherubimon, because I couldn't offer her anything that Cherubimon hadn't already. I couldn't save myself, or Raveamon, and the only one who had ever really had any idea of what was going on had just been turned into the data that was now being absorbed by me, and stolen then by the evil entity within me.

Suddenly, surges of intense pain shot through my whole body, from my toes to the tips of my wings. I doubled over, falling to the ground grasping my sides and curling my wings around me like shields although there was nothing for me to hide from. I let out a wicked scream at the sensation within me. It was like there was a fight going on inside me between Wereraiomon and Rowloamon's data against Raveamon as she continued to absorb that very data. The two good Spirits were losing, and Raveamon was becoming far too strong for them to handle. Soon, nothing would be able to stop her, and I would be nothing but a lifeless thing.

But nothing could prepare me for what that loss would feel like.

When they finally fell to Raveamon and she was done taking in all of the data, all of her dark power coursed through my veins, and I let loose another cry of agony, more blood rolling down my cheeks. I was then surrounded by data, but it was different than it usually was; it was tinted with splotches of black like it had a virus. I didn't know how, but I knew what this was called, maybe it was because Raveamon had said something about it that I hadn't really heard. I was dark digivolving.

As the pure darkness that flowed through Raveamon continued to change my DNA and slowly change me into a monster even worse than this, the data suddenly seemed to pound into me like billions of syringes, stabbing me and driving through me like nothing I'd ever felt before. It hurt worse than anything as well. The feathers on my wings ruffled at the force of the data, and my hair blew up wildly around me as if there was a storm. I did what I could to hold back the cries of pain, knowing that they were lovely to Raveamon's ears, like wind chimes, but I couldn't hold it in for very long, and soon they were just as loud as ever. I didn't know what to do.

"Toshiku!"

* * *

Standing with torn, brown-feathered wings with blacker hued splotches at random spots wrapped around her body, Raveamon's ultimate being opened her pale eyes, the shade of them like a ghoul's. Black lines tainted her pale white face, the very corners of her eyes connected to those lines. She had the same basic facial build as Raveamon, but there were things about her that just didn't seem right to Koji. There was no kindness there that had always been present whenever Toshiku was part of the entity.

The raven-haired boy stared in horror at the Digimon staring him down, she who'd dragged his friend from his arms, and drowned her in the lies and deceit of the dark. It made him angry, almost to the point of calling out the beast, urging her to fight him for the soul of Toshiku. But he knew better than to do that without thinking first. He had to know as much as he could about this being before he went charging in against her.

"…Who are you?" He shouted at the winged beast, his fists trembling with rage and hatred for the creature. Time passed by, more and more with each second, all of it now wasted, and without a single hum or whisper out of the evil Digimon. She just stared at him, like he was a mouse and she a hawk, waiting silently for the proper time to pounce on him. Kill him. "Answer me!" The Warrior pulled his D-Tector from his pocket, ready to spirit evolve at any given second.

With only a second more passing by in silence, the being finally spoke, her voice deep and threatening, like tinted glass, "I am Karasoumon, and you are the Warrior of Light, Koji Minamoto," A look of surprise clouded Koji's face, only bringing an evil little grin to Karasoumon's face, knowing that she had the upper hand. "Yes, I know all about you, Koji. Toshiku knows all about you; her thoughts are so clear and simple to read, unlike so many. It was child's play picking it apart, memory by memory, sad scene after sad scene.

That dark-hearted smile faded into one that was much more deadly, far more unpredictable and despicable. As if Toshiku had already been maliciously murdered. "If you're here to try and save her, you're too late, because there's nothing more she can do for me. She's useless now; soon, I'll dispose of her weak little body, for there will be no strength in her that I won't have already taken. She means nothing now—"

"I may not know a lot about you, but I do know that you don't have a physical form besides Toshiku, so you can't get rid of her, no matter how useless you think she is. It's because of her that you're even here! And as long as I'm still breathing, I'll bring her back to her rightful place, and send you back to hell where you belong!" Swiping the data on his hand across his D-Tector, the human took on the form of the Light Warrior in all his splendor.

Snatching the light sword from the pouch behind his back, the white Warrior came rushing at Karasoumon, her wings still wrapped around her body like shields, thought it didn't seem like that evil being to stay on the defensive for very long. As if she'd heard him thinking, Karasoumon's wings fell away, alertly poised behind her back, revealing another set of wings, though this one was jet black, with something of a red tint crusted over the feathers. But it wasn't her appearance that bothered Koji the most, especially with the way her armor was white like bones, and her black hair curled around her face like smoke, like the very clouds in the sky. It was what she held in her hand.

Tight in her grasp, there was a long chain with a metal ball that was bigger than her head attached to it. And it got worse; there were huge spikes covering the ball, and smaller points that were joined together like barbed wire wherever there wasn't a spike. It made Lobomon a bit nervous to see such a weapon, but it didn't bother him all that much. The chain was too long to hit him if he stayed close up to her, and she didn't appear to have any weapon small enough to do so. But she had to be hiding something; if Raveamon was smart, she wouldn't have evolved into a form with any kind of visible weakness. But was there really anything else he could do?

Throwing all his strength into the sword that was now impending on Karasoumon, who still hadn't moved very much, Lobomon was about to slash the sword right through her, but was stopped short of that goal when his attack was deflected by something that had looked like a flash of light. But when he glanced at what held his sword in place, he was astonished to see that it was Karasoumon's own hand, and the saber didn't even seem to faze her in the slightest.

The owl/raven cross breed didn't waste a single second that Lobomon was distraught during, and immediately sent her other fist into his chest in a swift uppercut that sent him flying across the barren ground. She'd pondered using the ball on a chain against him right then, since it would've been just as simple to swing it up and around, smashing it into him and sending him to the ground. But part of her wanted this to last longer, and it wouldn't if she'd chosen that path. The dark desire within her pleaded to watch his agony for a trifle longer than what Cherubimon wished.

Karasoumon moved towards the fallen Warrior, who was desperately trying to get back to his feet, and was just in time to get out of the way before the metal ball came crashing down on him. Jumping aside and landing in a crouched, agile position, his sword back now and extended to his side, he was about to call out to Karasoumon, but she spoke up before he had the chance, "Let's get one little thing about this story straight: You're the one who's in the wrong here. I've done nothing to drive Toshiku to this, nothing but offer it to her, at least. You're to blame, not me, and not Cherubimon. You.

"It's always been you, the lies you tell her and all of the pain that you put her through, directly or indirectly. You are a poison flowing through her veins, driving her to the point of insanity, and finally left her to fade into the dark, your enemy, when she was broken beyond repair. Although, she never was quite whole, was she, Koji?

"There always seemed to be something missing, something wrong with her. No matter what she, or anyone, did, a part of her seemed to be gone forever, completely surpassing any opportunity to be healed. She never talked about what bothered her, never said a word that would cause you to worry about her. She cared about you too much, Koji, so much that she learned to hide it. And, apparently, she was quite good at it. Was that what drove you into another's arms?" Lobomon's face attempted to hide a touch of regret, and small hint of guilt, the emotions that coursed through him now causing a minute grin of triumph to come to Karasoumon's face. "You just couldn't tell her, could you, Koji? That even though you still felt the same for her, you fell into the embrace of someone else…A Warrior of Wind, perhaps?"

There was so much depression evident on his face, it almost made Karasoumon feel a bit sorry for him. Almost. His guard was down now, the sword lowered and the tip of the blade gently touching the dirt, his head facing away from the four-winged antagonist. Lobomon's voice was quiet, almost inaudible, and it would've been had Karasoumon's ears been like a human's, "I never…wanted to be anything with anyone but Toshiku…but Zoe kept telling me day after day that Toshiku didn't feel anything more for me, despite how she still tried to act around me. She kept saying that it was all just a game to Toshiku now, but I never believed her.

"But after Toshiku and I got into it at the Trailmon racetrack, even I started to get a few doubts. The guys kept telling me that Zoe didn't know what she was talking about, and how she didn't know Toshiku at all, but it was hard not to believe what she said. JP told me all the time that I would be stupid to fall for it, but I did anyway. But any moment that I was with her instead of Toshiku, she was always the only one on my mind.

"Every time I was alone with Zoe, she'd want to do something—nothing that out of the ordinary, practically everything that Toshiku and I would do—but I'd never let her get that close to me. I spent all my time thinking up excuses to stay away from her, everything from feeling like I was about to sneeze to being just plain not in the mood. But there were times when I knew that if I gave another reason for her not to…to kiss me, she would catch on. She'd already blackmailed me about saying anything about it or leaving her; she would always ask me who Toshiku would believe. After a while, I wasn't even sure.

"And then I started noticing all the little glances that Toshiku would give me whenever Zoe said something, or whenever I was anywhere near her. I knew that she was starting to catch on, and had probably been told by one of the other Warriors. But I couldn't bear to imagine what a confession would do to her, so I tried to just live my life as normally as I usually would around her, and she seemed happy for the most part. But now…I guess I can see now that she's been hiding emotions all her life, and it wasn't much of a challenge to hide her worries from me…

"But that only makes me want to fight for her all the more!" With a loud yell, Lobomon rushed towards Karasoumon, her hands coming up instantly to block his swords, both of them now in his hands. She could feel everything he felt through the weapons, and knew that he was pushing himself beyond the strength that he was limited to. _Impressive. Almost, _she pondered to herself. "I don't want us to end like this, and we won't! And if it costs the very heart inside of me, I'll return her to where she belongs: With wings unbroken, commanding you!" Karasoumon was shrouded with utter surprise as she was suddenly flung backward, enough to send her stumbling back a few yards, though she remained upright.

Lobomon struggled to stay on his feet, exhaustion threatening him with every attack. He was using his energy up too quickly with attacks like that, and both of them knew it. Maybe that was why Karasoumon kept getting him to fall into monologues like that, to get his emotions even more into the fight. _Toshiku's got so much that she hides inside, all of her feelings are in there. That must be how Raveamon took her down so easily; everything was right there. I can hardly believe I didn't see all this coming…_ While his thoughts continued to trouble him, the Warrior of Light knew that he had to let go of the past. If he got distracted, there was no one else around to help. He was on his own.

But was his Human Spirit enough to take this creature down? So far, he'd only come up short, and his last strife had done nothing but knock her backwards, buying him a bit of time, and much more of her anger. And if this Digimon was anything like the Toshiku he knew, then all that rage would make her that much stronger, but it would also send her into a frenzy. His Ku-kun never seemed to get tired when that happened, but Karasoumon wasn't exactly her. Maybe that psychotic battle-mode would tire her out. _It's worth a shot, but I'll need the Beast if I'm gonna make it out._

Karasoumon, being part Raveamon after all, could sense what he thought, and attempted to calm herself as best she could. However, Toshiku's own temper was part of her own, and was thick with stubbornness, only hindering her strife. Knowing then that rage couldn't be avoided, she made a note to watch her movements carefully; if the Light Warrior thought they were going to be reckless and careless, he was in for a shock of agony.

"Lobomon, slide evolution!" The pretty blue data surrounded the Wolf Man completely, and when it faded away, a large white wolf had been left. The beastly Digimon snarled menacingly at Karasoumon, though she merely grinned demonically as a reply. "KendoGarurumon!" _You don't know it yet, big boy, but you're at a disadvantage no matter what form you choose. And you should be happy. Your beloved will be watching through my eyes as I destroy you._

Slashing her taloned hand through the air, the movement sending a blast of air as cold as the moon itself in KendoGarurumon's direction, Karasoumon let out a laugh that sent a shudder down the wolf's spine. The worst part was that it was a sick, twisted form of Toshiku's gentle, overjoyed little snicker. The demented way that the passionate girl he'd always held a special adoration for was portrayed by that demonic sound sent a fiery feeling throughout KendoGarurumon, though he tried not to let it control him. "Remember, Puppy, I've obtained more than just this form! Let's see if you can handle this!" The antagonist curled her wings in on herself, and was suddenly surrounded by the same tainted data that had turned Toshiku/Raveamon into Karasoumon. But what appeared in her place was nothing like what had disappeared.

Instead, a wolf-ish beast like Wereraiomon stood before KendoGarurumon, except this Spirit was much more fiendish-looking than the Black Wolf had ever been, and much more grotesque. Her claws were sharp and so long that they curled slightly, twisting in all kinds of directions as if someone had molded them that way. The beast's fur was black as the darkness all around them, and matted with blood, though it was hard to tell if it was her own or that of another. Spikes ran in a line down her back, one at every place that the bones in her spine showed through, her ribcage also visible, as if she were some kind of rabid animal. The points ran down her tail and up to her neck, across the flat of her head, and down her muzzle. Her teeth were the worst part. They were huge, stained with light pink like a carnivore that had just finished feasting, and sharp like saws, though her canines were even bigger than they had been before, so large in fact that now they couldn't even fit inside her mouth, and all four stuck out like fangs, almost rising straight up through the roof of her mouth. It was as if a vampire and a werewolf had been morphed into one gigantic, hideous being.

The new beast let out a deafening roar, slamming one heavy paw down onto the ground. "I am Okatsukimon, so prepare to face your demise, KendoGarurumon! Black Horizon!" The evil wolf threw herself back onto her hind legs, a black fog beginning to form around her mouth. Accompanied by the ground rumbling beneath her weight, Okatsukimon slammed back down to the Digital World, the smog forming a thickness almost like it were acid, and it came rushing from her mouth with such force that after KendoGarurumon dodged it, the attack kept going until it crashed into one of the rock formations, eating into it like acid instantly. If that stone hadn't been there, the strife probably would've kept on going right into the very horizon itself.

The Light Beast had no problem dodging any of her attacks, but he wouldn't be able to beat her by evading her alone. There was a chance that she wasn't completely like Toshiku, seeming as the Moon Warrior never seemed to get tired, only more and more injured. If he could keep her on his tail, maybe she would fall into exhaustion and wouldn't be quite so quick. But how much time would that plan take? And did he even have that kind of time? Although, did he have any other choice but to use as much time as it would take?

Okatsukimon's snarling mouth dripped with the black sludge, but seemed unaffected by the acid-base of the substance. It merely kept pooling before her feet as she crouched, ready and waiting patiently for KendoGarurumon to make a move; she was in no rush, no frenzy. She knew exactly what he was thinking, and planned to use his own technique against him. He had forgotten entirely about Raveamon's ability to read minds, and hadn't kept a very tight watch on his psyche. The beast could even sense when he was about to make his strike.

"Howling Star!" The golden blades on his back spread out to his side, almost like unfeathered wings, and the wheels attached to each of his four feet dropped to the ground. They kicked up clouds of dirt as they suddenly whipped into action, propelling the Digimon Warrior rapidly across the distance between him and Okatsukimon. It seemed as if he were moving faster than the speed of light, a blur of white and shining gold.

KendoGarurumon had no way of knowing that his opponent was already aware of his upcoming attack, even before he himself had chosen to strike in the first place. Whatever he thought, she could hear, and whatever his mind's eyes saw, she could see just as clearly, as if she were part of his soul and not Toshiku's. And because of that lack of knowledge, he hadn't expected Okatsukimon to be able to retaliate his offense as quickly and accurately as she had.

Just as he was about to slice into her side, the malevolent beast twisted in place, turning her whole body around to face him as he rushed by. But for once, he wasn't fast enough. Okatsukimon's body began to emit a hazy black glow, almost like an inverted version of Wereraiomon's Menschenwolf attack. The bony wolf's bloody red eyes began to shimmer, its pupils fading into nothing, leaving only the sparkling scarlet hue. She pounced with great speed and agility, much faster than KendoGarurumon could move to escape her. Sinking her immense teeth into his shoulder blades, pressing hard enough to shatter the armor, the black beast dug her curved claws into the thick armor, holding him in place and keeping him from escaping.

With one final burst of intense energy, Okatsukimon thrust the white wolf into the ground, the smaller beast letting out a yelp of agony. But Okatsukimon wasn't finished. That attack had only been to stop him, and wasn't the grand finale that she had planned for the great white beast. "Demonic Nightshade!" Without a moment of hesitation, the black haze around Okatsukimon faded back into her pores, and was sent like a shot straight into KendoGarurumon, using the wounds her teeth had just made as their place of entry. The Light Wolf let out a deafening whine of pain as the darkness surged through his veins.

He knew that if he returned to his human form now, while the attack was still coursing through him, he would be seriously injured, maybe even worse. Humans weren't built to be able to withstand such power, such condensed darkness. But as Okatsukimon tightened her grip on him, her claws and teeth digging even further into his body, he couldn't hold the Beast Spirit's form any longer and was surrounded by the data that both gave life, and took it away.

Koji laid face down on the ground, his eyes closed tightly and mouth curved into a grimace of intense hurt. The last thing he wanted was to give Okatsukimon the pleasure of hearing him scream. She had backed off shakily from him, but seemed confused at the action for a moment, until she realized that Toshiku cared enough for the human to be able to force her will into Okatsukimon's thoughts, just as she had once done to the Sentinel. But Toshiku wasn't strong enough to keep her law enforced, and soon her will to fight faded away, though remorse and anger were left in its place.

Sensing the change in the black beast's composure, Koji attempted to get up, or at least flip over onto his back so he could actually see Okatsukimon. It ended up being too difficult to rise in such pain, and he had to settle for rolling over. When he saw the slightly bewildered and aggravated expression on her face, he realized how Toshiku was still somewhat present inside of that creature. If he could convince Toshiku to keep fighting against the evil Spirits, there was a chance that she could return to normal and regain control. That would buy both of them time to find out how to get rid of Raveamon's evil essence.

"Toshiku, I know you can hear me! You can't give up, not now, not yet! You're a Sentinel, a guardian of the Digital World, and you've never let someone control you like this before, so why start now? I know you better than you think, and I know that you couldn't stand being bested by someone, and if you give up now, she'll never let you live it down. She'll never let you forget that she rendered one of the greatest Sentinels of the Moon helpless, hopeless. Show her that you're the one on top, and she's the weak one!" Enraged at Koji's words, Okatsukimon let out a loud snarl before leaping towards him, readying herself to slash him into pieces with her jagged nails.

But something made her stop, her muscles tingling and numb as a trembling began to overtake her. She recoiled from Koji as something like a bullet slammed into her head, but the cause of the unexpected pain was coming from within. An angered demon rushed around restlessly now that she was awake. Toshiku had been inspired by Koji's words to her, and she wouldn't writhe in pain inside her own soul watching helplessly as her friend was killed.

* * *

I trembled and shook, my body racked with pain and pulsing with something that I was unfamiliar with. It burned like fire as it rushed through my veins, but it didn't hurt me, no matter how much I thought that it should've just by how it felt. It took a while for complete feeling to return to my body, along with all of my senses. I shifted uneasily from one foot to the other, knowing that I was in Wereraiomon's form, but not remembering when I'd spirit evolved.

Soon my ability to scent the air returned, and I could tell that Koji was near, actually quite close by. I was still in the same place that I'd been before everything went foggy in my memories, and that span of time during which I had no recollection made me anxious, and I was sure that it was clear to see in the way my body tensed and relaxed at different moments. My sight and sense of touch and feeling were the last two to come back to me, and I could tell immediately that something was wrong.

When I glanced down at myself, expecting to see Wereraiomon's thick, clean fur, I was stunned and horrified to see fur darker than tar in various mats and clumps, some of the snarls hardened with speckles of dried blood chipping off of the coat like paint from an old Victorian home. The golden claws that had been neatly trimmed due to use were now jagged and curled almost to the point that they dug into my own paw pads, instead they dug into the dirt with every move I made. My mouth ached, and it wasn't hard to guess why; I didn't even need to open my mouth, I could see the huge teeth erupting from my jaws like undersea volcanoes. They caused so much discomfort when my mouth was clamped shut that I had no choice but to let it hang open, the ugly things easy for anyone to see. For a moment, I'd been so caught up in how horrid I'd become and how I hadn't even realized it, I hadn't even noticed Koji laying on the ground before me, hiding his hurt the best that he could.

_…I…I did that to him…He's unable to get up because of what I did…It's my fault…_I backed away from him slowly, tripping over my huge, awkward feet as I did so, my heavy head hung low, making the spikes along my backbone tug at my skin. But my head wasn't the only thing that felt weighed down; my heart and soul, or at least what was left of them, were downtrodden and the depression that cascaded over me was like nothing else. I'd never felt so low, taking down one of the very beings I was meant to secure the safety of, no matter what the cost.

Every part of me ached and writhed with internal pain, and Raveamon, wishing to take her place as commander of this host once again, racked my body with physical pain. She urged me forward, my head throbbing with all of her attempts to break into my thoughts, but I did everything that I could to keep her at bay for just a little bit longer, a little more time. That was all I needed…but what was I going to do with it?

I had to admit it, even if it was the one thing that I'd taught myself never to acknowledge. I wasn't strong enough to defeat Raveamon on my own, and I wasn't sure if I deserved a bit of AncientRaiafemon's help any more, especially after everything that I'd done that went against what Sentinels like her lived to do. For example, what I was doing right now. And was there even someone out there who was willing to help me, to look beyond the loathing and anger of this form and to the soul that tore itself to pieces daily, wishing for a way to escape the grasp that darkness tainted by hate had on it?

_No, Toshiku. No one in their right mind would even think of saving you. You're stuck with me. Forever. _Raveamon's wicked laughter cut through me like a knife, and I threw my wolfish head to the side, trying to hide my face from Koji as I let out a whine of both fear and pain. I didn't want to live my life evil and broken. In my dreams, I was filled with happiness and love, and there were no missing pieces of me. I was complete. I didn't want that to just be a dream, because no matter what Raveamon tried to convince me, I knew what that truly was. Somehow, some way, that was going to be my future.

But I needed to fix myself first, and there was a lot to mend.

"Toshiku," I looked up, noticing now that Koji had been able to rise up to his knees, though there was a look of slight discomfort and pain at the position. His eyes were dark with sadness, loathing this whole black scene just as much as I was. I could sense his pain, and I knew he could see mine and wished to take it away from me, to make it all go away and return things to the way they used to be. We both wanted to be in a time when nothing was wrong, and not a moment passed by that the distance between us wasn't closed. It had been so long since we'd had even a minute that we could just express our feelings in way that was a bit deeper than fighting for the other, or battling side by side, loyalty to the other in each movement that we made, our strategies synchronized in a way that was almost perfect.

Koji had no reason to say more, and he knew it. Our feelings were the same, if not then stronger than they had been since those days, and they couldn't be split with any weapon that Raveamon wanted to use. She could make me as despicable and hideous as all of Cherubimon's other zombies, but she could only control my mind. That _subeta_ couldn't stop Koji's heart like she could mine, and he would never turn from me. It was stupid of me to have thought he would go for Zoe. He'd chosen me from the start; how could I think that he was that kind of guy?

I tensed all of my muscles, trying my best to hold in place and not fall into the desire to test out this new form, knowing how superior to everything around me it really was. Gazing straight into Koji's cobalt eyes, my own filled with solemnness at what I was asking him to do, knowing it would be hard for him but also that he knew how important his role in all of this was, the deep, rasping voice this beast had rumbled out in a low tone, "You know what you have to do, Koji. I'll hold her off as best I can, but I…I'm not strong enough to take her down. I trust you, Koji. I know…I know you can get me out of this hell—" I was cut off from saying more by a fog of blackness shrouding my sight, and a wall of pain capsized my mind, knocking me back down into the dark that it had taken me so long to crawl back up out of.

* * *

Okatsukimon felt numb, numb and pissed off. How had Toshiku been able to break free of the grasp that the nothingness had on her? Her heart wasn't strong enough to accomplish such a feat, was it? If it was, then she had underestimated the Sentinel, but mistakes were meant to be learned from, and it had been a minor one, after all. She hadn't miscalculated the human's willpower by very much, and had been able to return to the controls of her mind with hardly any trouble. Toshiku wouldn't be hard to dispose of when the time came.

Her muscles felt cold, and she couldn't move at all, a result of losing and gaining control in such a rapid period of time. It was like when you turned something on and off really fast, and it took a while for the device to figure out what you wanted it to do, if it could at all. But Okatsukimon's body wasn't rebooting fast enough. Koji had already spirit evolved to Lobomon, and had one of his light sabers drawn at his side. Confidence and solemnness smothered his expression, not even a drop of light upon his downcast face. He knew something Okatsukimon didn't, and it tortured him deep down inside.

He could defeat Okatsukimon. But what would that do to Toshiku?

Would it kill her, as well? Or would it merely release her from Raveamon's grasp and separate their spirits? Lobomon wasn't sure, and it made his head throb agonizingly. If he wasn't completely certain about what he was doing, one of them might be seriously hurt, or much worse. But if he didn't do something, Toshiku would be left to suffer in the blinding, numbing dark until finally she didn't even have enough strength left in her own body to move at all, to hold her eyes open. To breathe.

_I can't just stand here and do nothing! I'm the only one who can do anything to save her! _Lobomon's thoughts shouted at him, urging him to burst into action, while others tried to bring reason into the matter, attempting to convince him that he had to know more about Okatsukimon before he did anything rash. But his window of opportunity to attack was closing fast, and the lumbering, rabid beast before him was starting to gain her full supremacy back. After that, there was no way he could best her. It would be suicide to even look at the black demon.

Finally, his thoughts faded away, and he gripped his kendo tightly in his hand, feeling the power of his element surging through him, giving him courage to be able to do what he had to: Destroy Okatsukimon. Lobomon raised his sword, pointing it to the darkened skies, the clouds swirling around the two as if a tornado was about to form, but it was too afraid to come between them. The will to do whatever he could to save his friend urged him onwards, and Toshiku's words were still there in his mind, _'I trust you, Koji'. I'll never surrender, Toshiku. Not until you're safe, not until you're in my arms again._ With his sword high in the air, Lobomon's voice rang out in the dark world as he called upon one of the only beings that could help him now, "Ancient Spirit of Light!"

A sudden beam of blinding light broke through the soot-black clouds, seeming completely out of place in this dark land. It was the brightest, most pure substance that Okatsukimon had ever seen, and she found it hard to look away despite how much she knew she had to. Her muscles were cooperating now, but she couldn't get herself to move. The light was too…hypnotic.

Out of the faultless element, a Wolf that rivaled even Okatsukimon's size fell from the sky, landing on the ground before Lobomon with grace and agility, every part of it beautiful and perfect. Its fur was gray like ice in the middle of winter, and its eyes a valiant, sparkling blue that sent chills down both of the Digimon's spines. It was as if the holy being could look straight into the soul if it wished, infiltrate the mind and burn you to cinders and ash from the inside out without you even having a chance to notice. No sound was made when it moved, only the electric crackling that the beam of light that surrounded it and Lobomon made.

Lobomon gritted his teeth against the strain of maintaining the attack, and it hadn't laid a claw on the black being yet. He was beginning to lose sureness in himself again, but did what he could to hold his saber up, knowing that its connection with the beam of light was the only thing keeping the other wolf here. He'd realized only moments before that his Ancient Spirit wouldn't have sent something that wouldn't be able to destroy Okatsukimon once and for all, and that it was the only thing within the perimeter that had a chance of taking her down.

Just when he thought that he'd called upon the beast for absolutely nothing, the gray wolf rushed forward, glittering light dancing around it and falling upon the dirt as the beautiful beast ran. Okatsukimon still hadn't moved; she couldn't. The glorious, heavenly animal that charged her had put her in a trance with its presence, and there was nothing she could do to break away from it. No matter how much darkness she tried to hide in, nothing was thick enough to save her from the element that befell her.

With jaws open and teeth like pearls visible in its mouth, the Light Wolf leapt into the air, twirling around with extreme expertise so it could grab hold of Okatsukimon's spiked neck and shoulders. To Lobomon's surprise, instead of just tearing the fur and muscle away from the body, the Wolf's jaws sank through her structure like a ghoul. When it pulled away, the Light Warrior was bewildered to see that Toshiku was in its teeth, held by the back of her collar like a puppy would be carried. But the Wolf didn't hold her for very long, and dropped her a little ways a way from Okatsukimon's twitching body, almost as if it couldn't stand touching her for that little moment of time.

Turning from Toshiku's motionless body, laying curled up on herself there on the black soil, the brilliant beast sprang back at Okatsukimon. The demented werewolf had no idea what had struck her, nor what kind of a disadvantage she was at. Her mind was becoming cloudy very fast as if she'd just had something ripped right out of her. Pain suddenly split across her whole body, overloading her nervous system as cracks sprung up all over her body as if she were a rock that was being pushed apart slowly, deliberately, by ice.

With a howl of agony erupting from her mouth, the sound strangled by her immense teeth, the Wolf jumped up onto her back, forcing the smaller beast onto the ground. Pushing her head down with one huge paw, claws showing and shimmering in the sparkling light, the Light Wolf crushed Okatsukimon's head into the dust, her body fading into data as it disappeared. It cast a final glance at Lobomon before fading into the light again, invisible to the world like it always had been.

The Light Warrior dropped to his hands and knees, the saber's blue-tinted light retreating as it fell from his hand to lay beside him on the ground. Breathing came to be a hard task, and after a little while he allowed himself to return to his normal form, knowing that there was no more danger, now that Okatsukimon and Karasoumon had both been defeated. And now, there was only Toshiku Koji had to worry about.

He struggled to his feet, his D-Tector back in his pocket again as he came up to the Sentinel's body. Sadness struck him as he knelt beside the Guardian of the Ten, his heart sore as he realized the state that Toshiku was truly in. Holding her in his arms, she seemed alright on the outside, a lot of bruises and cuts that looked pretty bad, but the real damage was on the inside, and Koji knew that now.

The Light Boy had never imagined how awful it must've been when Toshiku first learned that her own Human Spirit had been turned against her, and the warmth of its presence a lie. It made everything that she'd done a lot easier to understand, though. All of the attacks that she'd made against them, the sudden changes in her persona that had been more and more common lately, the way she looked at all of them as if she were afraid to come near but longed to. Her fear had been what Raveamon was hoping for, and in the end, had been the very thing that she clung to so she could keep her grip on Toshiku's free will firm and tight.

By fighting back, Toshiku had only sped up the process. She just couldn't win.

Koji shook his head with a sudden disdain for the world and everything immoral in it, a much stronger feeling than he had ever had before. It was almost impossible to believe that this could happen to someone whose only want was to be able to help the Digital World heal, and do whatever she could for anyone who crossed her path while she fought to free it. Toshiku's presence had brightened his life from the very first moment that he met her, heard her pretty voice whisper to him in the dark when he needed someone the most. She was always there, and this was what she got for it. It made Koji sick to his stomach, made him wonder if—

A demon's laugh ripped Koji from his thoughts, his skin prickling at the sound and sending cold spells down his spine. The sound was almost familiar, but there were little twitches in it that he couldn't place. No one he knew had ever sounded that wicked before. It took a little while to realize what truly made the sound horrific: It wasn't coming from someone who was standing a few feet away.

It had reverberated from the broken girl in his arms.

Pulling away from her, Koji saw that Toshiku's once closed eyes were open wider than they ever had been before, and this time, neither her iris nor her pupil had dilated to fill her eye with darkness. They were completely white, nothing for her Spirit to hide behind because Raveamon wasn't afraid of Koji, she never had been. Of course, she'd been wary of the influence he had on Toshiku and how the Sentinel was so much stronger whenever he, of all people, was threatened in the slightest way. But she felt no true fear or respect for him.

The Light Warrior dropped the possessed human immediately and back away from her quickly as she snapped onto her feet without a moment's hesitation. It was if nothing had happened that had caused her any pain, but then Koji remembered that this wasn't really Toshiku. It was Raveamon using her human body to do her bidding as she pleased. Toshiku was merely the puppet, and Raveamon pulled the strings, while Cherubimon commanded her as he wished. But just how much of the time did Raveamon actually listen to the dark Celestial?

For a few seconds, Toshiku didn't look at Koji, and instead focused in the opposite direction, shoulders hunched and her head held low. As if she were getting used to the new body, she straightened instantly, her head snapping in his direction fast enough to make Koji cringe. It looked like she would shatter the bone in her neck if she kept doing things like that. It was at that moment that Koji realized something he hadn't really _thought_ about before: Raveamon didn't care what happened to Toshiku's true soul and body. She could bend, tear, or break, and it wouldn't be her problem. If Koji fought her now, he would surely injure Toshiku.

He might even kill her.

The blank eyes stared at him without blinking once, a seriousness to them that sent a shudder down Koji's spine. There was a confidence there that he couldn't match, a knowledge that the superior had traits of both Toshiku—tireless, stronger with anger and agony, the will to fight no matter what it brought about—and Raveamon—ruthless, tainted, perfectly built for fighting—and that that being was not Koji.

Toshiku's white gaze was threatening, enough so that Koji started to back up, which brought her forward. Each of her steps pounded the ground, and there was nothing that seemed weak about her, not that she had ever seemed weak in any way to Koji. Her obsession with superiority had merely been a want to protect the Warriors without any problems, but after a while it formed into an addiction, and Raveamon had fed it, turning Toshiku into a different kind of addict. She would die inside if there was even one thought in her mind that she wasn't strong enough to protect them, she would make herself fight harder and longer than what she actually could, as if she were trying to force herself to be better. But it seemed like another way to escape the hurt inside.

Ignoring the fact that Raveamon could hear his words even better than Toshiku could—if she could at all—Koji knew that he had to strike Toshiku's weak points again, like he had when he'd brought up WereGarumon. He still hated himself for doing that to her, knowing how she blamed herself for the little pup's passing, but he knew that there had been no other way to get Toshiku to listen to him. She would've been killed if he hadn't stopped her somehow.

But this had to go even deeper into Toshiku's scars than even that had. Koji knew all of Toshiku's nightmares now, after so many nights that he lay holding Toshiku to him as she trembled and cried in her fitful sleep. The psychic ability that Raveamon had never quite left his own, and it let him see exactly what was going on that made her so upset. He'd never mentioned it before, but Zoe had once woken up during one of the worst dreams she'd had, and had waited up with him, worried and concerned, until Toshiku began to calm down again. Every now and then, Koji wondered if it would've made a difference if he had told Toshiku about it.

As he continued to back away from his advancing friend, he backed into one of the rock formations, and wasn't fast enough to move again before Toshiku had him by the collar of his shirt, forcing him against the rock with inhuman strength. Her fist crushed his chest, forcing the air from his lungs, but he fought for each breath that he took, and urged each word out of his lips with all the will he could muster, "I know you can't do much against Raveamon, Toshiku, and you wanna know something? That's okay, it's fine. It hurts you to think that you can't help us, but in reality, you being there means the world to me—to all of the Legendary Warriors. It doesn't matter if you're not the strongest Digimon in the world because you don't have to be! You have us—"

"Cut the _kuso_, Koji. All of us know that you're lying; your innocent eyes can't hide you forever," A wicked, pissed snarl slashed across Toshiku's face, contorting her soulless eyes and making them seem even more monster-like. The Light Boy knew that it was just a façade that Raveamon had made to deter him from helping Toshiku, probably hoping that he would eventually give up and figure that she was lost for good. But he'd never do that. "You may've been able to fool Toshiku for the longest time, but I'm not as moronically sentimental as she used to be. I feel nothing for you, her, or anything in this world. Not even the world itself. There is nothing here to hold me back from what I desire, and there are no exceptions in my mind." Her grip tightened and Koji grimaced with pain, but this almost reminded him of the last time that Raveamon had had control of Toshiku, back around the time that the two had first kissed.

Wrapping his hands around her wrist, the cloth soft as it always had been, same as the skin, but the muscles and tendon beneath it were pulsing and throbbing with how much energy Toshiku was forcing into them, Koji tried to pull away from her grasp at least a little bit, enough to breathe again. "You know I'm not lying, Raveamon! You wouldn't care if I lied to Toshiku because you don't care about her, but you're trying to turn her against me like you always used to, and all because you know that what I'm saying is true! You just don't want your little puppet to leave you—you'll be out in the open, unprepared for any attack that comes your way since you won't have Toshiku's body to take the hit for you—" Koji didn't regret his words, but rued the consequence that ran to him because of them.

Toshiku dug her knuckles into his skin as she pushed him harder up against the stone, lifting him up off of the ground ever so slightly, enough that he had to stand on his toes to be able to touch the actual ground. "_Seiko o shattodaun_!" Raveamon's voice had replaced Toshiku's, and now it sounded like a siren, warning Koji that she wasn't afraid to do anything to him, that nothing was off-limits in her book. The evil Human Spirit thought that Toshiku was too weak to have any influence on her thoughts and/or actions anymore.

Struggling more than ever to get his vocals to work right, Koji ushered his voice out of his throat, making it come out in a slightly high-toned ring, the sound strangled like he was, "Toshiku, you know I'm always all for you, and I'll never leave you. But if this is the last time that we speak for a while, don't you lose hope and don't let go of your soul. And you should know, if you're ever sad and feeling all alone, broken and hurt and you're not sure why, I'll try to piece you back together until there's nothing more I can do. But even after that I won't stop trying.

"After all of this is over, I'll be right by your side, and I'll be the first thing you see when you open your eyes. You don't have to worry about being alone in the world anymore, because you haven't been in a long time. We care about you here, and you'll always be one of us. Zoe worries about you, Tommy idolizes you, JP thinks you're an angel with a voice like gold, you know Takuya loves you, and you know…you know how I feel about you. Please, Toshiku…I need you to hear me, because we need you with us if we're going to make it through this place—" Koji's voice drained from the atmosphere as Toshiku's grasp increased and crushed his chest.

Toshiku's face held a calm, serious expression for a little while longer as she kept her fist firm against Koji. Her composure didn't break, but as time went on and on without either of them making a sound, all of Koji's words beginning to sink into her psyche, it began to weaken and crack like plaster. She dropped him after a few seconds, backing away with her head held in her hands, palms pressing against her temples as if she had a terrible headache.

She let out a low moan, expressing a pain that existed deep inside of her. Her eyes had been tightly closed since she'd put space between she and Koji, and now she opened them halfway, making it appear evident that there was aggravation and agony within her. "How could human emotions be so poisonous, so condemning?" Suddenly, still gripping her head, Toshiku threw her head back and let out a frustrated yell, both Toshiku and Raveamon's voices mingling into one.

Bewilderment struck Koji as a silhouette that was blacker than the air itself appeared near Toshiku. He wasn't sure what it was, but intuition told him that it was Cherubimon, coming to give his tainted warrior a helping hand. The dark cloud that resembled a huge hand drifted towards Toshiku, rushing through her and dragging the motionless body of Raveamon from Toshiku's. Koji was almost stunned that a function that simple was enough to pull their closely-knit DNA into two separate genes again.

Raveamon didn't move a single muscle as she stood a little ways away from Toshiku, who'd fallen to the ground with a small whimper of hurt after the darkness had passed through her. Her eyes were closed, but it was clear that she was alive since she was breathing and every now and then the corner of her eye would twitch of the corner of her mouth would curve upwards in a slight snarl before going back to its normal line. It was almost as if she were charging.

Koji knew as he started towards his fallen friend that there was no way that Toshiku could be taken over by another demon; there wasn't anything left to fight now. The Three had never shown any signs of being able to take her over, and there was no other enemies that Toshiku had besides them that he knew of. Raveamon's entity was no longer existing within Toshiku's soul, and neither were Karasoumon or Okatsukimon. Toshiku was finally safe, free from her captors.

The Warrior of Light held the new Moon in his arms, snug enough to let her know he was there, but gentle enough that he wouldn't hurt her. She even felt more like herself, so much warmer than she had been before. Sitting down on the ground, Toshiku's head resting against his shoulder and chest, Koji rocked back and forth, holding his dear Sentinel close to his heart. _I'll be the first thing you see when you wake up, Toshiku. I promise._


	25. Chapter 23: Changes

Chapter 23: Changes

My eyes opened slowly, my whole body aching with even that slightest movement. With my vision blurry and everything undecipherable for the moment, I could only tell what was around me by my weakened sense of touch and feeling. There was cold dirt beneath me, and the air felt thick around me, thick with darkness. I'd been around it so much now that I had been capable of memorizing its wicked bouquet.

It took a few more seconds before I realized just how badly my wounds stung, my sight returning to me in one of the sudden bursts of pain. I tried to sit up, tried to stand, but was unexpectedly, but gently, held down. When I glanced over, I saw Koji quite close to me, his arms wrapped around me as if there was something around that could harm me. But what was there to fear? There was no sign of any of the Three, and I couldn't sense Raveamon within me. She was completely silent, and that wasn't like her.

_Raveamon's not in me. _

The single thought was both joyous to me, and a death sentence for many others. She could no longer take control of my mind like a virus to a cell and make me fight mercilessly against those I cared for. But if Raveamon had no boundaries—for example, my will fighting constantly against hers—then she could do whatever she pleased whenever she thought it best. There would be nothing to stand in her way. _How could I want her to leave me? Now, there's hardly anything I can do against her…Or did Koji destroy her?_

Almost as if he'd sensed my question, Koji glanced up past me. From this angle, I could see that his eyes were clouded with exhaustion and exasperation, though his face didn't show quite as much of it. When I followed his gaze to see what he was staring up at, I could see where a lot of it was coming from. Raveamon herself, nothing separating her from us at all, stood, and although her ruby eyes were closed, the lids fluttering as information was organized in her malevolent brain, she was just as ferocious as she'd always been, even when I'd thought she was on my side.

I was startled when her wings suddenly fluttered, her upper lips curving into a momentary snarl before she slowly faded back into the blank expression and motionlessness. It was only a matter of time before everything was sorted out in her mind, all of her memories and instincts beginning to come into play in the way that she would soon live life. Turning to Koji, I spoke on my own for the first time in what seemed like years, no one forcing the words out of my mouth for me, even though such circumstances made my voice sound weak and broken, "W-We have to get out of here before she realizes we're here. We need to get as far away from that…that _thing_ as possible!"

Nearly stumbling when I pulled myself away from Koji's embrace, he had to help me to steady my feet and start walking. I had to wrap an arm around Koji's shoulders just to keep somewhat upright, not being able to stand hardly at all on my own now, let alone move. The Wolf Warrior said nothing for the longest time, and for a moment I thought he wasn't too thrilled about being so close to me after what I'd done to him, after how badly I'd just screwed up.

I untangled my arm from him and tried to take a couple of steps on my own, ultimately earning myself a meeting with the hard ground. "Toshiku," Koji's tone was one that cried out to me, trying to get a hold of the part of my mind that would do nothing but listen to him, always doing whatever he said because of how I felt for him. But now that Raveamon wasn't part of me and it would be so much harder to protect everyone from her…I realized that that was the very reason why he got hurt so much. Because of how I felt about him.

Holding back a groan of intense agony, I wiggled out of Koji's grasp when he attempted to help me up, muttering through clenched teeth, "At least let me try, Koji. Please, I have to. I don't want to need someone to help me walk," My words were pleading, begging him to let me go, let me try to teach my miserable little body to move on its own again. After a moment of consideration, Koji released his grip on my arm and backed up a bit, but was close enough to me to make me pretty _chikushou_ self-conscious.

But I ignored it as best I could, knowing and constantly telling myself that the goal was to regain all the strength that I had had before, not to impress Koji. I'd never needed to impress him. Despite how much my muscles begged for me to stop, I forced myself up onto my hands and knees, keeping my aching head bowed and my eyes squeezed shut. I crawled forward a foot or two before my arms and legs buckled beneath me and I fell back onto my stomach, my head resting against the freezing ground. Everything still felt cold to me.

I heard Koji take a step towards me, and my eyes shot open, cold and desperate as I cried out, "I can do this, Koji! I know I can!" I dragged strength back into my muscles, pushing myself back up onto my knees, almost halfway there now that I was standing on my knees. There was a determined glaze shading my eyes, and my breathing came in pants because of the burning pain within both my soul and my body. The fortitude gave me authority over my pathetic inner self, and I was able to ignore the hurt that racked me as I got shakily to my feet, every other movement that I made threatening to send me off balance. But I didn't fall, and I was able to take a step or two before I fully trusted my feet again.

Feeling a sudden pang of guilt for how I'd acted towards Koji, especially after how he'd risked life and limb to return me to this form, I turned with a sad expression to face Koji, the remorse showing on my face. My voice was quiet, my whole body feeling numb and sore from the internal pain of all that I'd tried to forget. _Is this what Raveamon did for me? She hid my hurt from me?_ "I'm sorry…I just…I…" A small growl of frustration echoed from my throat, and I averted my eyes from him with my fists clenched at my sides and teeth grinding with aggravation. Why couldn't I just say what I needed to and be done with this? I still had to find a way to tell him my last idea on protecting the Legendary Warriors, so if I couldn't get this out…there was no way I was going to find a way to explain that.

Koji simply cast me an understanding smile as he approached where I was standing. When he was in front of me, he stopped and gently put a hand to my face, the warmth of his skin something that I'd once forgotten. I saw a minute happiness in his eyes, and it took me a minute to realize that he'd missed being so close to me. The thought made my heart burn with agony. "I know, Toshiku. I know," The smile I hadn't seen in ages was there on his face as he wrapped his arms around me, drawing me in close to him.

I hated how I couldn't remember feeling Koji's warmth before this moment, and it bothered me more than it should've. It pained me to think that I'd forgotten so much, especially so many of the moments I'd been happiest. Koji kissed me gently on the cheek, his face turning a slight pink at the show of affection. Slowly, almost hesitantly, I returned the embrace, holding Koji to me tightly, burying my face in his neck and shoulder. I felt myself begin to tremble when I found that I didn't completely recognize his unforgettable scent, and I tried to memorize it again, knowing that this might be the last time that I'd ever be this close to him.

When the embrace finally found space between us, I pressed my forehead against Koji's, our gazes locking in half-open stares of heartfelt sentiment that neither wanted to forget. I remembered how I used to look into those pretty blue eyes at night, the moonlight making them shine in a way that could be compared to nothing. Feeling my heart suddenly skip a beat, almost as if it were encouraging me to do what it knew this moment pleaded for, I made a move to press my lips against Koji's. Seeing the burning blush on my face and the nervousness in my eyes, Koji's mouth turned into a slight smile and met me half way. It was at that moment that I knew for sure that no matter what happened, no matter how many trials that the two of us were going to have to face, and ignoring every pain that would strike us, each deeper than the other, the way we felt would always remain the same.

Nothing, no one, could change it or make it go away.

We finally pulled away from each other, the one thing that I'd always remember from moments like this being how hard it was to think of something to say or do afterwards. But there was almost always one suggestion a person could make in a situation like this that would fit no matter what. Trying to keep my voice from stuttering, I used that very proposition, "We, uhh, should…keep going. You know, find the others and what not…" At first I didn't move away from him, practically needing a crow bar just to do so.

"R-Right," Koji agreed quietly as he came up to walk beside me, glancing over at me out of the corner of his eye every now and then as if he were a little worried about me. I knew that I'd be flipping out inside right about now if anything like this had happened to Koji. Sighing inside, I wished there was a way that I could try to stop those feelings of concern that stabbed him so from coming up within him from the dark that surrounded me.

Silence settled upon the two of us, but it wasn't the kind that we enjoyed, nor was it awkward in any way. It was just…venomous. There really was no way to describe it other than that. With the way that it sank into your skin, flowing through your veins and slowly shutting down each and every part of you that had the will to speak until it finally reached your heart, sending you down a path that was eerily quiet, desolate. Dead.

_Like Rowloamon. _

More hurt struck me like a slap in the face, except on my heart. Sure, Rowloamon had tried to destroy me a hell of a lot of times, but she'd tried as best she could to save me when the time finally came, coming to warn me of the ways that some Digimon could become stronger by absorbing the data of certain others. How was I to know if Raveamon had another Key Digimon like her? I wouldn't even know about that at all if not for Rowloamon. And she risked—lost—her very life trying to save me from a fate without that knowledge. What would've happened if she hadn't gotten that out in time? If I didn't know that?

But that wasn't all that she'd told me. What seemed like ages ago, she'd attempted to warn me of something else in a way that she knew I would remember it best: Music. That song was still burned into my head, and now…I was almost sure that I could piece every part of it together and couple it with something that had gone on in the short time that I was here in this world. Even some of the people and Digimon.

'_You know, you're not the only one…'_ I wasn't. Raveamon had been with me since the beginning of all of this, before it even. She'd been my greatest friend, challenging me to do my best with a kindness in her voice that hide her true persona, making me believe that she was my conscience, or something like that. Maybe the little angel that sits up on your shoulder and tells you what's best to do, always fighting against the little devil. But she was both. My angel and my devil.

'_When they all come crashing down in mid-flight. You know, you're not the only one…When they're so alone they find a back door out of life. You know, you're not the only one…'_ A bird didn't fall from the sky unless it was injured, or had been killed. Since my Spirit was bird, that had to have something to do with her being thrown into the darkness, probably against her will. And I fell right along with her. Because of how alone I felt in the human world, despite all those who were around me, I held onto Raveamon's entity too tightly, leaving myself vulnerable to her. She forced me out of my own life, and into hers to suffer hell right along with her.

_'We're all grieving, lost and bleeding…'_ Never mind everything that she'd put me through, all of the hell and _kuso_ that she'd dragged me through, one hand always resting roughly on my shoulder to keep me from leaving her, she was my Human Spirit. I couldn't help but be sad that she was no longer mine, but Cherubimon's, Lucemon's. She was lost in the darkness, blind to me and to the light. There was nothing that I could do but wait, letting my heart bleed for her profusely, never finding a way to help it heal, to stop the flow. How could I when she'd been a part of me for so long? How could _she_?

_'All our lives, we've been waiting for someone to call our leader…'_ I'd never been a follower in my life, not even when I was a little kid. I'd lead Daijiro everywhere, feeling strength and pride in the fact that he trusted me to know what I was doing and that it was best for him. I was his leader, one that he'd put his faith in until the very end of his life. Raveamon had cheated both of us out of time together, and that was unforgivable in my eyes. To think that my whole life I'd been waiting for someone to help me lead like she had, giving me the feeling that she did, even when I hadn't known it was really her.

_'All your lies, I'm not believing…'_ Cherubimon had been the source of all of the lies, all of the voices in my head when I'd first come to the Digital World, but was Raveamon one of the reasons why they'd suddenly stopped? I wasn't all too sure about that, since the Knight of the Night had spoken her fair share to me, driving me insane ever so slowly from all her taunts and jabs. Though, now I could tell false from true, after having practiced the maddening game of lying myself a few too many times.

_'Heaven, shine a light down on me…'_ I couldn't be certain it had really happened, but there was a vague memory in my head of a wolf made of glass, maybe even diamonds, that had been surrounded by a constant light. It had struck me in a way that nothing had before. It had even felt holy, divine, heaven-sent, even as it dug its claws into my skin and tore me apart, digging for something within me that was deeper than my very soul. Deeper than my darkest being.

_'So afraid to open your eyes, hypnotized. You know, you're not the only one…'_ Just the thought of Raveamon having complete supremacy over me in every way possible sent a cold chill down my spine, throughout my muscles, making my bones shiver and rattle. But the darkness that someone like her could surround you with had a quality that no other had. It was almost beautiful, perfect even, and you just couldn't look away from it, not until you could fully understand how such a substance could be considered with such pure words. It was in that moment that all would fall into its power, obey its every whim and command, not even stopping to wonder why you were doing all of this. You were almost scared to think on your own.

_'Never understood this life, and you're right, I don't deserve. But you know, I'm not the only one…We're all grieving, lost and bleeding…'_ Life had always been a hard thing for me to fit into, never being able to find a spot for myself in it. I'd always thought that that was the main reason that I screwed up so many times. Because I didn't know who I was or what I wanted out of this life. I wasn't worthy of all the second chances that people had given me, but for some reason, they thought that I was. They'd bled for me, they'd sacrificed everything for my soul, and some had even died in my place. I couldn't be sad for their loss all the time, because there was something in me, my destiny, that they'd given themselves to protect. I had to fulfill it.

There was more to the song, but I wasn't sure exactly what the rest of it meant without repeating a few of the things that I'd said. It couldn't be repetitious like that; it wouldn't make sense at all. Of course, history happened over and over again in different ways, but not like that. Not so close to the original, not unless it was planned that way, and I sucked at planning stuff. If something was too similar to another part, then I had to have screwed up somewhere along the line.

And that left me at a dead end. _I probably haven't gone through all of it yet. I've got more coming my way._

"Is something wrong?" I was a bit surprised when Koji suddenly spoke up, neither of us having said one word since the kiss. But, realizing that my frustration for the unfinished song must've shown through on my face, it wasn't so hard to find this question typical. It didn't bother me this time, though, because for once…I did need to talk to him about this. There was another side of the song that told me a way that all of this pain and suffering could've been avoided, and that the rest of it could be evaded by him and all the others that I cared for.

Slowly, unsurely, I nodded my head, glancing at him for a mere second before immediately looking away again. This was going to hurt, a lot. And I had to be strong, not only for myself, but for Koji and everyone else, too. If I started to fall apart, he would see the flaws in my theory, in my words, and no one would pull through. I had to be careful with the way I went around doing this. There was absolutely no room for mistakes right now, because they could mean a raw wound deep down were it would fester and never heal quite right. "There's something I need to talk to you about, Koji, something that I should've a long time ago, now that I think about it.

"You know how I feel about you, how I'll always feel about you, but you also know how much trouble that gets all of us into and all the hell I've put you guys through because of what I do whenever I feel that you, of all people, are threatened in any way. Of course, I do that for everyone, but it just makes everything worse when I do that and you get involved. I'm stupid and reckless, and I…there's nothing I care for more in this life than you and the Warriors. But you know I care for you in a different way, and that's what I need to talk to you about.

"Have you noticed how some of my enemies try to go after _you_, not even batting an eyelash at anyone else, not even me? I knew it was because of how I feel about you, but even then I thought that I could teach myself to be strong enough to be able to defend you against anything. But I was wrong, and I know that now. I realize now that the only true way to keep you safe is to…to separate myself from you, teach myself to feel for you the same as I do the others. Koji, I…I can't feel anything for you here, in this world. After we get back to the human world…that's really the only time that we'd be able to feel this way towards each other…" I trailed off, not sure what else I could say, or if I could even say anything at all. I'd crawl across this world for him, do anything he wanted me to…how could I say anything more about wanting to feel nothing for him?

Koji was quiet for the longest time after I'd stopped talking. He was watching the ground as he walked, keeping his eyes off of me. The once bright blue was clouded and scratched with tire and pain, and I hated myself for being the cause of both. He was exhausted because he'd had to fight me, and the pain was both from the battle and from all that I'd said. My self-loathing burned within me, and I knew that if I could fight myself, I would do it gladly, not caring what the cause of hurting a form of me would be.

Finally, the Light Boy's words came from his mouth, quiet, but not serene, for they were strained as if he were perplexed a little by what I'd told him, "Why do you think that I can't stand beside you, that I can't fight at your side? You don't have to be invincible, and to be honest, you don't need to be any stronger because you're an outstanding warrior the way that you are," He still wasn't looking at me, and there was even more hurt in his eyes, and I knew that it was the same pain I felt on the inside. We both couldn't stop wondering how you could just up and make a feeling stop. Neither of us knew.

I let out a small sound of exasperation, having hated this conversation since the first time that we'd argued over a matter such as this. At least this time I knew a bit more about all of the fights with them, something Raveamon had stopped me from seeing before. "Koji, we've gone through this before. And now, I know that it's not all about supremacy. With them, it's something deeper, something that only I can give because I'm the only one in the universe that has it. I may not know for sure what it is, but I know that that's what the fights are really about. They don't care about you guys, other than the fact that I'm supposed to protect you, and they're trying to get under my skin by going after you. Other than that, they'd choose to have nothing to do with you, so I don't need help fighting them, because they'd just ignore you."

There was a look of disbelief on Koji's face, but it wasn't for what I'd tried to explain. It was about the whole topic, the true reason behind it. A skeptical expression crossed his features, his eyes drilling into me as he glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. But there was also a touch of worry there. "…What is this really about, Toshiku?" For a second I wasn't sure what he was unintentionally hinting towards, but then it hit me.

Zoe.

I let out a pent up sigh, having known deep inside that this would be the always-hated scene that we'd end on. Stuff like this never could end happy. It just…I suppose people thought it wasn't right if it was a mutual thing. "…How long were you with her, Koji? I'm not mad about it, I just want to know how long I've been replaced for." I may as well have struck him in the face if I'd wanted to see that look in his eyes. The pure agony and regret, it was obvious now to me that it stung him, just like some of the things that I'd done. We both wished that there was a way to go back in time, but there wasn't, and we'd have to suffer together and alone at the same time.

After a second or two, Koji closed his eyes and answered with all truth, "It was a little while before Rowloamon attacked the Trailmon we were in, when Raveamon had control for that bit of time. But we…" He made an almost inaudible, distressed-seeming sound. I could feel his hurt in my own nervous system. "…We never really did anything. I didn't want to be that way with her, I…I only wanted to be with you, but she…Zoe kept trying to convince me that there was something going on with you that was beyond our ability to help you with. I tried not to listen to her, but it was hard.

"Whenever you turned on us, she'd give me this look, like she was trying not to say 'I told you so'. After Raveamon started to take more than a mental hold on you, it was difficult to think that there was a way to help you go back to the way you were before, and for a little while…I even doubted that you would ever be the same. But I didn't want to give up on you, or us, so I stayed by your side, showing you the care that I'd had from the beginning of all of this. Zoe thought I was wasting my time, but…what I do with you is well worth all the time moments like that took.

"We can't just give up on each other when moments from back then are replaced by arguments and fights like these. You're not the kind of person who gives up, Toshiku, you've never been that way and you never will be. But, right now, that's what you're saying that we should do: Just give up on each other. How can you—" A small sigh escaped through my nose. _Every night in this _chikushou_ place seems to get worse and worse. _

"I'm not giving up, Koji," I interrupted with a voice like I'd heard in a few of my dreams, gentle but strong and filled with a feeling that told you there was hope. That something was still alright in the world. "I've had plenty of other ideas, and this is one of them, one of the last ones, to be specific. This is me trying everything that I can to keep you from hurting like this. If I hadn't been so stupid and had thought for once that maybe the problem was something I couldn't see, that I didn't know about, you wouldn't have had to find a solace in someone else. Koji," I let out another sound that was drenched with exasperation, however, this time it was for myself, and my inability to get all words in the dictionary to cooperate with me. "This is me trying to do whatever I can to give you a life you deserve, and keep me and my ball-and-chain of misery from wrapping its bandaged fingers around you, too.

"I should've done this a long time ago, maybe I shouldn't have even chased after you in the first place. I mean, it was an accident that I met you in the subway that fateful day; how do we know that we're even supposed to be together? Both of us could've gone through so much less if I'd been paying more attention that day, if either one of us had waited one or two more seconds, milliseconds even. Who knows? Maybe we would've suffered through more," I closed my eyes, beginning to pick up my pace as I grabbed my D-Tector from my pocket, holding it tightly in my hand. "Either way, I'm no Legendary Warrior, and I shouldn't be mixed in with you guys as if I am. Sentinels are the guardians of this world, and that means that we can't stay in the same place as the people with whom we're watching. I can't be around you or the others anymore. Of course, I'll come whenever you need me, but that'll be it. I can't be anything more than an ally to you. Everything will go wrong again if I make another mistake like that."

I was about to spirit evolve to Wereraiomon and get out of here before Koji could say anything else, mainly because there was nothing else for me to say, and this was a pretty shaky way for what Koji and I had to end. It was like I'd just gone and cut our bond with a scissors, severing the thread that held our hearts and souls together as one, shattering the both of us like mirrors as the string fell away and we hit the cold floor of reality. This was what AncientRaiafemon had been talking about in the dream where she spoke with Shitsurenmon after she'd been hurt by her love.

Duty had gotten in the way of sentiment.

I'd never imagined that it would feel this badly, though. All I'd ever wanted to do was be around Koji, hold his hand, keep him close to me. I'd never felt more at ease than when I was with him; it had been years since I'd had true happiness within me. Laughing didn't feel quite as good if it wasn't with him. And living just wasn't worth it anymore. The pain of what I'd just done hurt like nothing I'd ever felt before, and I just wanted to rip my heart out, throw it in a box, lock it, bury it in the ground, melt the key, and burn the map. I wanted it to stop, but I knew in my soul that it never would. Maybe, over time, it would begin to dull, grow numb, but it wouldn't just fade away like other wounds. It would stay with me until the end of time itself.

But this was something I had to do if I was ever going to be able to fill the shoes that AncientRaiafemon and all of the other Sentinels had left when they'd either passed from the living world or had grown blind to the tender touch of the light, turning instead to the cold, but somehow healing embrace that the darkness of the night and all of its nocturnal creatures knew how to give. I had to make sacrifices just like she had, because that was how things were in this world. It was what people like me had to do.

I could hear Koji's voice, but it was a drone to my ears, silenced by my own racing thoughts. Besides, I knew that if I could hear his voice, I would stop to listen to him, and I would end up staying. But I couldn't stay, not anymore. He might understand in time why I had to do this, but he wouldn't yet. Not right now, not this hour, not today. Maybe not even this year. But eventually, Koji would understand why certain things had to be done in certain ways.

Holding my D-Tector out in front of me, I was about to spirit evolve when something that Koji shouted, making my blood suddenly run cold. "Toshiku, watch out! It's Raveamon!" I turned just in time to see those frozen red eyes and death-black wings looming above me. There was a hope in me, for whatever reason, that if the dark had passed from me then it would leave her as well, so I made no move to get away from her, although my D-Tector was still in my grasp. Why I felt such a hope, I had no idea.

But I was wrong.

Before either of us had a chance to spirit evolve, Raveamon had snatched me, only me, up in her arms, springing into flight. I could only hear Koji's voice for another few seconds, after that we were too high and too far away. It felt strange to be held as a prisoner was by my very own Human Spirit, in fact, it made me sick to my stomach. When I finally thought that if I spoke I wouldn't throw up, I started to thrash around in her arms, trying to free myself and grumbling, "Let go of me! I don't want you to touch me!"

Raveamon's grip tightened around me, her talons digging into my skin but not hard enough to cut me. I could sense the snarl on her face as she retaliated, "This isn't what I want right now, either, _baka_. I would've skinned you alive by now if Cherubimon hadn't ordered for me not to." Her voice had been cold, harshly hushed, making her violent nature that much more ferocious and terrifying. But I still found it hard to be afraid of her; I merely hated what she was, everything about her. It still hurt inside to see the evil on her face, in her eyes, though.

I wanted to say something more to her, try to make some kind of conversation that might be able to snap her out of this. But what could I say? It wasn't like 'How are you?' would work right now. "Where are you taking me?" Finally, I managed to get something out of my throat, even though it was a pretty overused question and I didn't really want to know anyways.

Feeling her eyes staring down into the back of my head, I shifted so I could look up at her, and instantly wished that I hadn't. Her lips were curled back, tilted up into a psychotic smile, worse than what the Grinch had whenever he got a twisted idea. Raveamon's scarlet eyes were wide and filled with a severe need for a psychiatrist or a tranquilizer dart of mass proportion. The blood that eternally stained her face didn't help much either.

Chills ran down my spine, and I closed my eyes tightly, turning around to face the ground again. I could feel myself begin to tremble as a deep, thundering laugh echoed from Raveamon's throat, filling the sky and making it seem as if nothing would be more pleasing to her than to watch as someone's blood was shed mercilessly. It didn't matter who. She just wanted to be the one to make it flow.

I could feel tears welling up in my eyes, but it wasn't because of what I knew that evil grin meant for me. It was because of what my Human Spirit had become. It was like watching your best friend being stabbed again and again, and knowing that there was nothing you could do to make it stop, to look away and pretend you couldn't hear her screaming for you to help. If I could've done anything right then, if I could've wished to be able to do anything, for anything, I would've begged _Kamisama_ to let me free Raveamon from the chain of tainted darkness that kept her locked in a cage.

But those tears never fell from my eyes, they didn't have a chance to. Raveamon suddenly dug her talons into my shoulder, ripping through my shirt and skin with a sickening sound. The pain was so close to the control system of my nerves that the agony was intensified by thousands, sending a scream into my throat, though I was able to hold it there. Darkness began to cloud my vision, as the hurt made its way throughout my whole body, tingling and burning every part of me.

"Sleep in the black, Toshiku," Raveamon's voice took on an almost gentle tone, one that would've made me feel safe with her, comfortable in her embrace. But there was nothing tender about the way she spoke; it was sadistic, a tune that you heard right before you were injected with a drug that would ultimately be fatal to you. She was one of the most dangerous beings in the whole Digital World, and her whole body felt like ice to me. There was no life in her, at least nothing good that would cause warmth. "Sleep in that so-called peace for a little while, for we will arrive shortly, and you'll wish you could sleep in the darkness forever."

* * *

Raveamon had been right. When I woke up, I wanted nothing more than to just turn from the pale light and disappear into the black again, ignoring how cold Raveamon felt against my skin. She was my Human Spirit after all, and deep inside, I felt a kind of safety within her presence, even though that should've been the last thing I sensed with her in a state of mind like she was.

She wasn't flying any more, and was carrying me like you would a little kid who'd fallen asleep in the car or someone that had hurt their leg and couldn't walk. After a few more seconds I opened my eyes reluctantly, accepting the fact that I wasn't going to be getting any more sleep, or at least I wasn't going to go back to be unconscious, since that's pretty much what I'd been.

What I saw was odd to me, so unfamiliar. We were in some kind of castle-fort-structure made of gray stone, and from where we were, there were no windows, only a few torches here and there, most of the lay being utter darkness. I moved my head when I looked around, and Raveamon noticed my being awake now. She glanced at me, looking away again before I could meet her gaze. There was no emotion in her face, and even though she knew I could walk, she continued to carry me, probably thinking that it was easier this way and she would've have to concern herself about me if I tried to escape her.

"So, where are we right now?" I glanced around again, seeing a door that was only open a crack a little ways ahead of us, and apparently in the direction that Raveamon was going. There was a touch of pale light coming from the crevice, and it was as if the lighting was coming from outside of the building. I assumed that there was a window of some kind there, or a door, maybe even a gap in the wall where something had broken through the wall.

Raveamon ignored my question; however, I knew she'd heard me. The glazed look in her eyes was blank, showing nothing at all, and it made me a little nervous to see what was waiting for me behind the thick wooden door. As she came through the door, I was almost horrified—almost—to see Mercurymon and Ranamon standing in the room, facing the door with expectant expressions, smiling malevolently at me. They were probably still a bit pissed about what I'd done the last time I'd encountered them.

The black-winged Digimon moved a few feet closer to them before holding me out in her arms, unexpectedly dropping me onto the ground. I grunted when I hit the ground, rolling onto my side with a grimace as I attempted to get to my feet, or at the very least, my knees. "I would stay there if I were you, sugar," Ranamon's Southern accent told me smugly, sending a snarl onto my face, but I did stay on my hands and knees, feeling pathetic.

After grinning triumphantly down at me, Mercurymon averted his gaze from me and turned his attention to Raveamon. "It warms my heart to see a dark beauty such as yourself standing before this world as you do. There's nothing that enhances my belief in your loyalty to Lord Cherubimon than—"

"No," Raveamon stated flatly, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly. I glanced back and forth between the two of them, wondering how much of my Spirit's personal life I'd missed whenever I had a moment to not be paying any attention. You just couldn't help but wonder about these things.

Mercurymon was about to say something else, a finger held up to assist his point, but Raveamon cut him off before he could get any further. "I don't _ki ni suru_ what Lord Cherubimon said. You're not my type, and you're not going to be able to change since you don't know what to change to. And you can tell him whatever you want to, because even though he may find a way to force me to be with you, he's never going to make me feel anything more for you than what you are to me: An ally. Nothing more, and nothing less." Apparently, that was that, since Mercurymon put his hand back down with a defeated sound.

The blue Warrior spun around on her heel and suddenly shouted at Mercurymon, making him slink away from her a little bit as she made no move to keep Raveamon from hearing her words, "Why, you think she's prettier than me, don't you, Mercurymon? Answer me!" I couldn't help but feel a bit of pity for Mercurymon right about now. I mean, first you get completely rejected and then you're being yelled at about appearances by some creeper. What a night.

A single moment of silence went by before I heard the sound of claws clicking across the floor, and turned to see Raveamon walking out of the room. I was about to call out to her, but was beaten to it by Ranamon. "Hey, where do you think you're going? Lord Cherubimon told us to tell you that you're supposed to stay here, so you've got—"

"You're not the boss of me," The Raven snapped, placing a hand on the wood door as she cast a loathing half-glance back at Ranamon, who scowled back at her. It wasn't hard to assume that they'd never really gotten along, even when she'd still been part of me. But I guess it wasn't a difficult thing to contemplate. Raveamon was a 'beloved creation of Cherubimon', and what part of that wouldn't make Ranamon insanely jealous of her? Besides, it was obvious she was much stronger anyways.

With nothing more to say to either of the Warriors, she sent another blank look down at me. Our gazes locked, the bright green and blinding red of our irises like Christmas lights in a way. I could feel something within me that I never had before, a sensation that gave me hope, sent power into my being, making me rise up from the ground despite Ranamon's warning. Raveamon's sight never left me as I stood, and she made no move to force me back to the ground. I fisted my hands as I stared back at her, our eyes stuck in a mental battle that neither of us had really wanted in the first place.

Finally, she turned from me, closing her eyes and muttering something that I could only figure I would've disliked hearing, she walked out of the room, the door slamming loudly behind her, the sound echoing throughout the whole edifice. Without her here, I felt a bit more insecure about the situation, but I did my best to ignore it, telling myself that I still had both the Verre Collar and my D-Tector. That Wereraiomon was still on my side.

"She is so irritating! If she weren't loyal to Lord Cherubimon, I would've taken Miss High-and-Mighty down from her throne a long time ago!" Ranamon growled, crossing her arms over her chest with an irritated scowl on her face. Her face was turning purple with her rage, and I couldn't help but wonder that if purple was what she turned when she was pissed, what color she would turn if I choked her for even thinking she could take down my Human Spirit.

I caught myself before I said anything of the sort, telling myself—even my inner voice was cold—that Raveamon was against me now, and it would be good if Ranamon was tough enough to take her down, or at least put up a halfway-decent fight. If she was, then that would mean she'd be simple to defeat, or else the Water Warrior would've already done that for me.

But I knew better.

Raveamon was built for warfare, crafted to be quick and swift, but to hold mass amounts of energy and muscle; AncientRaiafemon had made sure of that because she'd never thought that Cherubimon would be so bold as to infect a Human Spirit. But what else had she expected? I couldn't blame her though; it was my fault as well since I hadn't thought that he would do such a thing either. Her wings were like a kind of light-weight iron, and that was without using the Guardian's Shield defense. She'd once had a heart that cared for all, felt no hatred except to those who hated, but that was the past. Now, she had no heart at all, I could sense that much, for it was the only important thing that she lacked.

"Thou art quieter than what is normal, at least for thine own level of typicality," It hadn't needed to hear his voice to know that it was Mercurymon, calling me a weirdo in his ancient tongue. All I'd need was a record of what he's said, unless Ranamon decided to take a class on the olden days when people other than Mercurymon still talked like that. Back then, Toaster-Destroyer probably went around saying, 'Sup, my peep?'.

Usually when people noted you were a little shorter on words than what you ordinarily were, it was out of concern for how you were feeling. But the way Mercurymon said it as he approached me, it was as if he wanted to take his anger and humiliation for being turned down by Raveamon out on me, thinking maybe that she might feel some of the pain that I did. That was impossible, of course, but a tin can could hope.

Picking me up by the collar of my shirt, Mercurymon held me up in the air so I had to look down at his face. I could see a slight reflection of myself in his face, and it was like seeing someone that had just been taken off of a deserted island. My face had a few bruises here and there and was covered in dirt, my hair sticky with mud that had probably been the cause of dirt and blood. The bright, healthy green that my eyes had once been was faded and dark with exhaustion, though I really didn't feel any of it. Maybe I was running on adrenaline.

"Tis a shock, when one looks in the mirror and can barely recognize thine own face," Mercurymon's words were true, but that didn't make him any less annoying. He didn't know anything about how I felt, who I was, or what I planned to do. I knew he could see the tire in my eyes, but that was all he knew of me. But Raveamon did. Had each of them been given a short version of everything that would take me down, make me weak? "Perhaps thy brain is suffocated," Before I could do anything to stop him, Mercurymon had taken the Verre Collar from around my neck, dropping me to the ground in the process.

I landed shakily on my feet, my exhaustion hitting me head-on now that the Verre Collar had been removed. _It must have some kind of effect on my body, that's why I didn't feel all the pain or fatigue that I should've been. _Mercurymon looked at the collar, running a metallic finger over each of the verres, whispering softly to himself, "At last…it's finally mine. I can almost feel her power…"

It seemed to me that if Mercurymon thought there was a person within those stones, he needed a mental check-up. But what if he meant that there was a Spirit of some kind in there? With a skeptical expression and a hesitant question in my voice, I asked him, unsure who this 'she' was (I'd probably been told before, but I couldn't remember for the life of me), "What are you talking about? They're just stones with powers. That's it, there's no person in them—"

"That shows just how far thine own knowledge extends past thy name," Mercurymon interrupted brusquely, his attention still surrounding the Verre Collar, one finger reaching up to stroke one of the small gems. He was just about to touch it, but suddenly his face took a bit more of a serious attitude and he fisted the collar, his gaze returning to me. There was deadliness to his featureless face that sent a shudder down my spine; his lack of eyes told me he wasn't afraid to do anything, for eyes were windows to the soul, and if there were no eyes, there was no soul. "Let us take our newest guest out to meet the others, shall we, Ranamon?"

His blue ally earned a wicked little smile as she came up to stand beside Mercurymon, pretending that she could tower over me like he could despite her practically being my height. She raised one of her arms, her finger pointing towards the sky as a dark cloud began to form above her finger. "Allow me. Draining Rain!" The black cloud hurtled across the short distance, resting over my head like the clouds in the human world seemed to sometimes. Rain of the darkest blue I'd ever seen before poured down upon me, pelting any ounce of strength that I had and dragging me to the ground along with it as it ran in rivers off of my skin and dripped off of my clothes.

Knowing that this would be a weak moment on my part, Ranamon and Mercurymon both grabbed one of my wrists and dragged me across the room to a different door. When they opened it, a felt a rush of cold air chill my skin, but the soft sensation faded as they dragged me across the dirt a little ways before dropping my hands. I was about to give getting up a shot when Mercurymon had me by the throat, putting something that was tight and cold around my neck before beginning to walk away from me.

I'd assumed that it had just been his hands on my neck, so a wave of astonishment and dread passed over me when I heard a clinking sound as I struggled onto my knees. Looking down and putting a hand to my neck at the same time, I saw that there was a metal pole sticking out of the ground a few feet away from me with a chain tied around it, the chain connected to a thick metal collar around my neck, probably supposed to be some kind of mockery for the Verre Collar, or remind me that it wasn't with me. I should've felt petrified that it wasn't here, but I didn't. I barely even knew what it did anyways, so why worry about it. I had no way to get it back even if I did.

_But what about Wereraiomon? _Ranamon and Mercurymon weren't around, and they'd been careless enough to forget about my D-Tector. Besides, Zoe, JP, and Tommy were a couple of yards away from me, chained to a wall, and I could see their D-Tectors from here as they were being inspected by a group of Datamon. If I spirit evolved to Wereraiomon now, I could get everyone out of here before either of the two evil Warriors could figure out what had happened.

However, apparently Zoe had other plans, and they involved yelling at me. I could feel the heat of her rage in her voice, and for a moment I wasn't really sure what I'd done, but then I thought for another second, and I knew. I'd done everything wrong. "How could you have possibly been captured? You're supposed to be the one who knows what's all going on and when, so how in the world did you get yourself caught? I swear, you're just never going to learn, are you?" Usually her words would've fanned the ember of my own anger, but this time…it wouldn't light. I didn't feel like arguing with her.

A small smile lingered on my lips, and I lowered my head so I didn't have to look up at Zoe. If I'd had the time, I would've explained everything, but I didn't have all day, so I summed it up into the best summary I could give, "Sorry, Zoe. I didn't expect Raveamon to come up from out of nowhere and grab me, so…here I am, chained to the ground…" I tugged at the chain, accidentally bopping myself in the nose by grabbing too much of the chain and not realizing how close to my face my hand had been.

Zoe stared at me as if I'd just slapped her in the face. I'd expected her to all me a liar and ignore me from here on out, but she just looked at me, her green eyes filled with confusion like mine were a lot. Now that I thought about it, the hues of our eyes were really alike, both green and lively, but exhausted beyond all reason on the inside. I'd been right in thinking that we really weren't that different.

"You…Did you just say you were sorry? Sorry for…being kidnapped by your own Human Spirit?" Despite her hands being stuck in one of those old-fashioned handcuffs, she tried to point at me. There was a complete disbelief for all that she was hearing that almost made me laugh. Zoe had apparently never expected to hear words like that directed at her coming out of my mouth.

I shrugged, knowing how it sounded, especially from her side. The Warriors of Ice and Thunder seemed just as confused as she did since they hadn't been there when Raveamon had been separated from me. They might've seen her come flying in with me, though, unless she'd come from the other direction. "I got some help from a friendly little light, and he found a way to get her evil essence from mine, so…now she's got a physical form, and I'm not sure which was worse. But I won't be around you guys anymore now, so I can keep her away from you. We've just gotta get out of here first—"

"We don't have our D-Tectors," JP interceded in the conversation, finally getting up the courage to now that he knew this wasn't going to break into a huge fight like it almost always used to. I could see the relief on Tommy's face as well. "There's not much that we can do without them." A wave of defeat and depression fell over all of their faces, their eyes becoming downcast as they pondered how hopeless it was.

But I still had my trump card. I just had to be careful with it.

I wanted to use it right then and there, wipe the frowns from their faces for once instead of being the one to put them there, but I couldn't. I could almost feel the air grow tense as Mercurymon and Ranamon walked up from behind me, maybe it was because they had a feeling I knew something they didn't, and they didn't like that. But it was hard to be sure, so I kept my eyes on the ground as they walked by me.

Ranamon stopped in front of the three Legendary Warriors, her gaze hard and aggravated. She turned to Mercurymon and asked in a sinister little voice, making me glance up at her from the ground, "Since our last session of torture didn't turn out quite how I'd planned, it is alright if I do something a little more drastic?" I could feel my skin prickling as I rose to my feet, feeling a sudden surge of power rush through me even without the Verre Collar. It was the sensation that every Sentinel got when they were scared to death.

"Over my dead body!" I tried to lunge forward at the both of them, but my offense was cut short so unexpectedly that I fell over backwards, gasping for each intake of oxygen. The chain wasn't long enough for me to reach them, and there was no way that I could break it or get it off of the chain. There was nothing I had left to do but sit there and see what happened, or spirit evolve and avoid it. Struggling back to my feet and ignoring the snickers of the two dark Legendary Warriors, I chose quickly: I'd wait to see what Ranamon would do.

Returning his attention from my poor attempt to get at them back to Ranamon, Mercurymon's reply was just as sickly sweet to my ears as Ranamon's had been. Maybe even worse. "Do as you wish," I wanted so badly to rip him apart, shatter every part of him that was breakable and melt the rest. But I couldn't do that right now; I had to wait, and that was something that I needed a bit of practice with.

Ranamon turned back to the three humans, and pointed directly at JP. "You, sweet thing," My concern was staring to bore a hole through my skin and into my very organs. Was there nothing that I could do without giving away my possession of a D-Tector? It killed me to think that this was how everyone else must've felt whenever I took the fall for someone else, but that was what I had to do, it was my duty. They, on the other hand, didn't have to go through this. They didn't have to hurt because it was my job to hurt for them.

My reckless, thoughtless nature took over me, and I embraced the essence of the Sentinel within me, feeling the courage and strength of every Sentinel I'd ever seen or heard of before rushing through my veins, filling me with hope. I snatched my D-Tector from my pocket, and was just about to Beast Spirit Evolve when I heard the snap of an arrow being released. Looking in the direction of the sound, I saw Obstimon standing in the doorway of the fort; he was just lowering his bow, and the arrow was aimed right at me.

Or, more specifically, my D-Tector.

The sharp point crashed into the screen, sending it flying from my hand and straight into Mercurymon's. The Warrior of Steel pulled the thin weapon from the device, looking at the black and white D-Tector that now lay in his hand. All of my hope faded from me, knowing deep within me that there was no way that the Digivice could work if the arrow had pierced it in that way, having completely shattered the screen. I wasn't sure things could get much worse than this.

But, of course, if you say that, it only means you don't want to be there when things really do get worse. "A pity, really, that thy mind deceived thee in such a way, for you had no chance against myself and my brethren," To emphasize his point, Mercurymon proceeded to crush my D-Tector completely in his hand, the pieces falling to the ground before vaporizing themselves into tiny data particles that faded into the atmosphere.

For a slight moment, Mercurymon turned from me and directed his attention to Obstimon, a thankful smile upon his face as he called over to the archer, "Your assistance is appreciated, my quiver-wielding ally. Lord Cherubimon has truly gifted thy existence." My enemy didn't seem very pleased with the Legendary Warrior's thanks, probably not having wanted it at all. It seemed like he hadn't even wanted to shoot my D-Tector with his arrow, and hell, I hadn't either.

I stared at the spot where my D-Tector had dropped, had turned to something smaller than dust, my eyes wide with horror. It was like watching your last line of defense fall before your eyes, or witnessing the death of millions and feeling the pain of every last one of them. For a moment, I prayed to anyone who would listen to tell me I was dreaming, to force me to wake up, make all this go away, do something. But no, no one was going to do anything to help me now. I'd wasted every other chance I got, and now…

There was nothing I could do but watch as my friends suffered because of another of my stupid mistakes.

Dropping to my knees, I slammed my fists into the dirt, gritting my teeth against the pain inside and out, mentally shouting at myself for always being this way, always doing the wrong thing and screwing up. _What are you supposed to do now, huh, Toshiku? Are you just going to sit there and watch your friends get hurt, maybe have a few laughs with Mercurymon about it? Give it up before you get yourself killed, you know you can't spirit evolve and you don't stand a chance without it. _

I felt sick as I realized the way I was talking to myself. Had this been what Raveamon had worked off of? My very own thoughts? There were all kinds of things that were wrong with me, and I knew that. The darkness wasn't completely gone, only Raveamon's share of it was. But that didn't mean I was going to succumb to it again. _No, I'm not just going to sit here, and I'm not going to give up. I know I need a Spirit, but I don't have one and there's nothing else I can do. I need to stop Ranamon before she hurts them._

JP's sudden scream of pain shook me from my thoughts, and I leapt to my feet and charged Ranamon, ignoring the fact that the chain was too short for me to reach them. I only succeeded in suffocating myself again, and apparently I had to do that twice before I realized that doing that wasn't going to get my anywhere. Grabbing ahold of the thick, cold metal, I yanked on it as hard as I could, putting everything that I had into pulling it back. No matter how far underground that pole went, I was going to get free. I had to if I was going to help them.

"Toshiku, watch out for Mercurymon!" Tommy's warning didn't register fast enough in my mind for me to be able to evade his grasp. Holding me by the chain, the Warrior of Steel lifted me into the air, letting me dangle and choke. My fingers attempted to pry the collar from around my throat, but were to no avail. It was too tight for me to get it off, and my mind was too foggy to figure out how to undo the binding on it.

There was a sick, twisted smile on Mercurymon's face as he watched me struggle, ignoring the shouts of the three other Warriors. Even Ranamon had stopped to watch as he strangled me, her face showing that she was intoxicated by how malevolent he could be. "Thy friends may help you fight my brethren, and thy Human Spirit may not wish to battle something as pathetic as you, but I don't mind seeing thy thrashing, like a firefly in a jar—"

"A firefly that could take you down in one shot," My eyes were shut tightly because of the lack of oxygen in my brain, but I recognized Lobomon's voice. Air suddenly rushed into my lungs at the same time a metallic clang rang off, and a series of cheers echoed from the three captive Warriors. Ranamon tried to silence them by attempting to use of her attack on them again, but she wasn't fast enough and ended up being kicked away from them by Lobomon.

As everything rushed back into my awareness, I rolled from my back onto my stomach, rising slowly to my feet. Mercurymon was just about to walk by me towards Lobomon, and I did what anyone would want to: Jumped up and punched him right in the face. Hard. Hell, I'll admit it probably hurt me a heck of a lot more than it did him, but it felt good to know I had to have at least smudged his face. I felt okay about having done that until he hit me back. A lot harder.

I fell onto the ground again, my ribcage throbbing from the impact with his mirror-shield. The Warrior cast me a loathing glance that wished it could kill, but did nothing more. He continued towards Lobomon, no evil smile on his face for once. I heard Ranamon say something about manners, but I couldn't take my eyes off of Mercurymon. He was the one I was worried about. "And so," His voice held no emotion, no hint at what he planned to do, and it was probably the worst sound I'd heard. "The fourth Warrior hath joined us."

Lobomon gave him no reply, merely stared him down with those gleaming red eyes that threatened pain to anyone who hurt someone he cared for. I could see a few scratches till on his armor from our battle, and I instantly felt a pang of guilt for having done that much damage to him. He was probably hiding so much more. _I'm sorry, Koji. It's all my fault, and I can't even do anything to help you fight them besides shout a bunch of verbal threats._

I was very tempted to use one of those threats on Mercurymon, but they took their battle to the roof of the castle-fort-thing before I had the chance. I could hear the fight commencing, but I couldn't look, I didn't need to. Lobomon was outmatched, Ranamon having a Beast Spirit and Mercurymon being strong enough even if he didn't appear to have one. With my fists clenched, I bowed my head and stared at the ground, not knowing what to do. I had no D-Tector, and Raveamon wasn't on my side anymore. Who did I have left to help me fight?

_But…what about AncientRaiafemon? _I stared up at the sky, wind beginning to blow around me, lifting my hair up off of my shoulders and making it swirl around my face. I'd taken so much power from her; did I even want to ask her for more assistance? All that she'd need to do was send Wereraiomon's Spirit from the shattered D-Tector and straight into me, like Raveamon had been. But I wasn't sure how much of her energy that would take, or if she had any left at all. Last time, she'd had a bit of help from the verres to protect me from Mukademon, but this time they were gone too.

I had to look up when I heard the crash of stone being blasted to bits, and part of one of the towers fell to the ground far below. Mercurymon was using his arm-mirrors as shields, sending all of Lobomon's laser blasts in all directs, anywhere but hitting the Warrior of Steel or Calmaramon. "Lobomon needs our help!" Zoe shouted, her tone filled with concern and loathing for her lack of a D-Tector. The Datamon still had all three of them, and were starting to think of new ways to try and get the Spirits out of them.

Tommy's voice held the same trait, except with a bit more reality to his words. "But what can we do?" All of their faces became downcast and distressed at the news flash, and it hurt me to see that they hated this moment just as much as I did. No one wanted to feel useless, like pawns that were ready to be played by the opponent at any time that they pleased in order to make your master suffer.

"Man, if only we could spirit evolve!" JP exclaimed with a touch of sorrow to his voice; it hadn't been very long since I'd last heard his tone like that, and that wasn't a good thing. But the sadness faded to panic and anger when the Datamon found a brand new idea and were preparing to test it out: Throwing the D-Tectors into a pot of steaming hot, molten metal. _How did they get that through the force field without any of us noticing?_ "Hey, you better not throw our D-Tectors in there!" Almost as if to answer him, the Datamon that possess his D-Tector looked at it thoughtfully, an evil little snicker erupting from his lips.

Shimatta_, I should've gotten the Digivices back and spirit evolved when I had the chance to. I shouldn't have waited so long; my hesitation gave my enemies the chance to prepare themselves for any offense I might give. But how was I supposed to know that Obstimon was here, or that he would've known I had my D-Tector, unless he thinks that Ranamon and Mercurymon are dumb enough to leave it with me, which they were, but that's beside the point. _Kamisama_, I just need a way to spirit evolve! _

I knew that the only options I had left were to either wait for Takuya and hope to heaven for a miracle, or ask AncientRaiafemon for another favor that she could barely spare the energy for. If I waited for Takuya, Lobomon would be a goner since I had no idea how long it would take the Warrior of Flame to get here from wherever he'd gone off to. But if I were to ask my Ancient Spirit for a hand, I'd be endangering what little life she had left, if any at all.

Reminding myself continually that she'd given me the duty of protecting the Legendary Warriors, not deceased Sentinels, my mind started to give in to the thought of yet again asking for someone to help me when I couldn't just do it myself. This was similar to Raveamon taking over me, with me being completely useless and pathetic and without any way to fight back. I needed someone to break through the dark and give me strength that only the bright essence of light could give, like the white wolf that came running down from the sky.

I'd never truly met the Moon Being before, aside from in my dreams where no one really knew anyone since they were all just fragments of your imagination and not the actual people, but I cared about her well-being as if she were a family member that had been there for me throughout everything, good times and bad. Taking more power from her would only add to the guilt that I felt day in and day out…but it was necessary for the survival of the Legendary Warriors and the revival of the Digital World, wasn't it? And wasn't that what my fate was, to serve them and this world no matter what the cost?

Once, in another of the dreams where I'd seen AncientRaiafemon, she'd said that a Sentinel couldn't let emotions get in the way of what had to be done. Even though she hadn't been talking about or to me, I knew that this bit of logic and wisdom applied to me in this situation. I couldn't sit here and wait for Takuya, for all I knew, he might not even be able to get here. _I'll have to look for him if he doesn't show; they can't save the Digital World with only nine Spirits. _

With a heavy heart and my decision made, I closed my eyes tightly against the cold wind and bowed my head, not even wanting to look at the sky. It was AncientRaiafemon's domain, the night sky, whether she was dynamic and living or only slightly alive. Even the clouds of the sky showed their feelings through expressions and shapes in the clouds, the sounds the wind made and the way that thunder rumbled as lightning flashed. There didn't seem to be a storm coming, but the intensity of the air was suffocating me in the same way a thunderstorm did.

I wasn't sure if she could hear me all the time when I thought, so with my voice as quiet as I could make it, I whispered with a fast urgency, a few of my words stumbling over others because of the rapid pace and the racing of my heart, "I don't know if you can hear me, or if you're even listening, but I need you right now more than ever. My friends are in trouble or have just plain disappeared, my Human Spirit's forsaken me, the Verre Collar was taken from me, and now my D-Tector has been completely destroyed. I don't know what to do now, and I need…_Shimatta_, AncientRaiafemon, I need your help.

"I should be strong enough to be able to find a way to do something useful, but I'm a poor replacement for you, and I think you're starting to see that too. Never has there been a time that I lived up to that name, the Sentinel of the Moon, and eternities will pass by before I come anywhere near it. But I've done things that no one would ever be proud of, acted in ways that would make a serial killer sick to his stomach, and I need to do something to show my friends and the whole _chikushou_ Digital World that I'm sorry, that I wish I was some kind of 'Warrior of Time' or something and turn it all back, travel back into the past and warn myself before any of this happened…But I'm not, and I can't.

"So, here I am, a messed-up idiot was acted like a terrorist and a traitor to those I was sworn to protect. But I'm also a messed-up idiot that wants to fix everything, or die trying to. And being able to spirit evolve right now would be the best thing that'll ever happen to me, so, if you're listening…I could really use a helping hand right about now…" After a little while, I ran out of stuff to say, knowing that none of this was really all that new and I thought about the same problems over and over again. But everyone had little pet issues that never seemed to fix themselves no matter how much effort people put into them, because you were so used to having them there all the time to make you as miserable as they could. All of my pains and problems were just another part of me, I guess.

Silence surrounded me. Everything had tuned out on me aside from the swift winds and the gentle whistle as it blew dust off of the ground. I couldn't hear the sizzling of the metal hammers that the Datamon had dropped into the molten metal, and the shouts and comments of the three trapped Warriors had become just another part of the breeze. Thunder was rumbling like a cat's purr in the distance, but the separation was shortening with every second, and soon it circled us in the sky like a vulture, or a lioness stalking her prey before she struck as fast as lightning.

Dark clouds twirled like dancers above us, pouncing at each other with lethal agility and accuracy, each one blacker and more menacing than the other. It was clear that this was no storm that would ever appear in the human world, and I would know, for whenever there was a storm of any kind going on I'd be right there on the window sill watching it progress, silently watching as all of the people ran to their warm homes so they wouldn't be caught in the rain and lightning. It made me hurt inside to know that everyone on that street was moving fast because there was something at their house worth going back to. Whenever I was caught in the rain, I liked to stay in captivity so I didn't have to return to my 'home'.

But I wasn't there anymore, and that was never, nor ever would be my home again. If I got back to the human world alive, there was no way in hell that I would ever go back. Sure, I had no idea where else I would go, but nowhere was better than going back to being a hostage to my own purposelessness. Of course, Rio was there, and it had always seemed like he needed me there, but really, did he? The Legendary Warriors fared just fine without me, only needing a helping hand to assist them in standing every now and then, and that was rare. Did I even have a true purpose anymore, now that everyone knew what they were doing?

_Of course I do. Lobomon needs me right now. So do Zoe, JP, and Tommy. And Takuya needs me to protect them in his absence, give them guidance and lead them with him gone. _Confidence filled me at my own thoughts—for once—and I rose to my feet, the wind blowing my hair up off of my shoulders, the strands dancing around my face and tickling my dusty skin. I felt like I was Raveamon again, sensing everything that moved around me, every sound, every scent, anything and everything that could be felt living or dead around me. I knew deep in my heart that I would never be able to spirit evolve to her again, and it was like being shot in the heart when the realization hit my brain. But it was reality, and I'd have to learn to deal with it eventually. For now, the memory of her would have to do.

I was pulled from my thoughts when a wall of water rushed through the doors of the fort, leaving Lobomon after it drained away in the ground, leaving only wet dirt and a few puddles here and there. He didn't made a move to get up after the water had left, and that made it pretty clear that he was drained of strength as if his strength had been the water and his skin the dirt.

Ranamon and Mercurymon followed him out of the edifice, though they walked out by their own will and not by that of the riptide. The Warrior of Steel seemed pretty pissed at his blue accomplice. "Have you no control?" Even though he didn't seem that much taller than her from way over here, the green Warrior towered over Ranamon.

"Why are you mad at me? It was your idea!" She-who-is-the-color-of-someone-being-choked retorted, slinking back from Mercurymon with a slightly fearful expression. She knew just as well as everyone else did that he was much stronger than her. It wasn't hard to see; you didn't need to know if he had a Beast Spirit or not, he didn't need one. His method of intimidation worked just as well.

If he'd had eyes, he would've been rolling them as he walked away with an annoyed groan, muttering loud enough for everyone to hear, "I'm surrounded by buffoons…" Ranamon didn't seem too put off by the comment, it was like this was something that he said on a regular basis and she thought he was kidding. Or she couldn't understand his 'accent'. But the humorous way that they acted around each other faded from my conscious when I saw where Mercurymon was headed: Straight for Lobomon.

Fear and agony tore at my heart as I did the same to the chain and collar around my throat. I was hurting my own neck by how hard I tugged at the metallic band, but I didn't care because keeping me safe wasn't the goal here, it never had been. Koji had always been the one I guarded night and day, my eyes never leaving him for fear that he would be harmed, and in the end everything went after him. I suppose I had that coming, but hell, it sucked anyways. That was why I had to separate myself from all of them while still being their Sentinel at the same time, so that no harm befell them that wasn't destined to.

"Lobomon!" I saw that I wasn't the only one fearing for the White Warrior when JP's voice sounded through the silence, slicing through the air as if nothing were there to stop it. The sound reverberated in my ears like someone was slamming on a drum with all their power, hitting a gong with every ounce of their being. It hit me in a way that told me this was my fault in ways I never could've prevented it, and I didn't understand. Why did I have to blame myself for this, for all of it? I hadn't known…what was I supposed to do?

Struggling to his knees just as Mercurymon stopped in front of him, Lobomon hung his head weakly, his whole body trembling with pain and exhaustion. His words quivered and shook like his form as he spoke in the same drained tone, "Give me your best shot…" My hands were starting to become numb with how much effort I was putting into dragging up the chain, though I knew I'd never achieve what I wanted. The pillar the chain was fastened to, who knew how far it went down, how strong it was. And I certainly wasn't strong enough on my own to break the chain or the collar.

With an evil laugh commencing from the bowels of his being, Mercurymon's voice sounded sickly sweet, as if he were following his master's orders, but planning to stab him in the back the moment his gaze was elsewhere, "As you wish," Hot, angry tears sprung to my eyes when Mercurymon's foot collided with Lobomon's face. A cry of pain shot from his lips as he fell again to the ground, this time making no effort to rise again. Mercurymon's wicked laugh resounded in the utter silence, drowning in it like a single lamp in a dark, dark world.

I wanted to shut him up, make him pay, do something to repress the scream of internal anguish in my throat. There was absolutely nothing that I wanted more than to rip that _rokudenashi _to pieces, melt him in the pot of molten metal. Suddenly, it felt as if I'd been shot in the heart with some kind of needle, the stinging feeling sending a numbing sensation all over my body as more thunder rumbled and a few bold flashes of lightning unleashed their power upon the sky, rendering it helpless against their supremacy. A voice as quiet as the wind itself rode on the thunder itself, coming to me in my mind through the brightness of the lightning, _"Go, do your job and do it well. Do not fail."_

Almost instantly bright blue light surrounded me, and when I saw the Digital World next it was through Wereraiomon's gem-hued eyes. I wasn't sure what the metallic collar had been made of to be able to reshape itself in order to fit my huge Beast Spirit, but it was no longer as strong as it had been to a mere human being. With a menacing bawl and a single thrash, the chain's many links shattered and the collar broke apart into pieces. _I won't let you down, AncientRaiafemon. I refuse to be defeated._

Unleashing the anguished scream that had been within my throat this long while, I rushed at Mercurymon faster than I ever had before. Before anyone had a chance to figure out what the hell had just happened, I was on top of Mercurymon. With another raging bellow, I slammed a heavy paw into him, sending him flying into Ranamon, who wasn't exactly pleased to have such a heavy, pointy ally fall on her.

I took on a much more gentle nature as I sprung over to Lobomon, not really knowing just how bad the extent of his injuries was. Nudging his shoulder gently with my nose as a small whining noise slipped from my mouth, I got a bit of a groan out of him, showing that he was awake but not without a heaping helping of agony. My long pink tongue ran across his face in an attempt to wake him up a bit more, and it must've done something to help since the next thing I knew I heard another moan as Lobomon rose shakily to his feet.

Holding onto my muzzle ever so slightly to help steady him, the White Wolf Warrior looked into my eyes, truly seeing that I'd spirit evolved to my Beast without my D-Tector. There was much confusion in not only him but everyone around us, the two dark Warriors included. Lobomon was about to say something—probably something having to do with the whole D-Tector-less-ness thing—but Mercurymon's voice sounded first, cutting him off, "Remarkable, really, the way you squander such talents, waste them by serving these poor excuses for Legendary Warriors. It's truly an insult to the very Digital World—"

"Shut it, Mercurymon. I don't care or want to know what you think," I barked with a threatening snarl, taking a step towards him. Both of the other Warriors moved back a little ways, obviously wary of what I might be able to do. I still had to be a little careful, though; they couldn't leave without me getting the Verre Collar back first. "This isn't my power, and I have no interest in serving Cherubimon anymore. I never should've doubted my loyalty to my friends, to the _true_ Legendary Warriors." My emphasis on 'true' clearly enraged the both of them, but Ranamon's attention was stolen from my grasp for a moment as the winds and rapid twirling of the clouds began to grow, a soft chill forming on the heavy breeze.

The chill turned to a frigid cold as snow began to fall, accompanying the thunder and the ever-threatening winds. The sudden change of temperature set off a strange change in my emotion, sending a surge of confidence throughout my body that told me—no, commanded me—to fight. Right now. With one last glance at Lobomon, I turned from him to fully face Mercurymon, my fur ruffling up my spine with aggravation at the very sight of him. It made me sick to think of all the misery he'd put all of us through just for kicks, so he could feel something. If that hunk of metal even could feel anything at all.

My black lips curled back to reveal my sparkling white teeth, which seemed even brighter due to the falling snow. With another loud bark erupting from my lips, I leapt at Mercurymon, Ranamon quickly dashing away from him so she wouldn't be dragged into the fight. I slashed at the metallic being, but he deflected my advance by shielding himself from my razor-sharp claws using his mirror-shield.

Circling him like a lioness does a sickly, old antelope, I barred my teeth at him, knowing that it would be considered suicide to look away from such a powerful being for even half of a second. His gaze, however, didn't follow me, as if he thought he was calling my bluff, since I hadn't attacked yet. Going around behind him, I hoped that he wasn't expecting an advance as I raised my head, the glittering white energy filling my mouth and throat yet again. "Nova Star!" Letting it loose from my lips, the huge ball of pulsating light crashed into an unsuspecting Mercurymon who'd obviously thought that he'd caught me at a time when striking was the last thing on my mind.

He cried out as dust and smoke buffeted him and reduced his vision to practically nothing, which was only amplified by the snowfall. It was nice—for once—to hear someone else's screams of pain, someone who actually deserved the hurt. Out of the corner of my eye, I could've sworn I saw the Verre Collar shoot off and land somewhere in the dirt and snow, but when I made a move to go and see if that was really what it had been, Mercurymon's arm broke through the smoke as if it had been water, and he aimed his mirror-shield at me.

"Dark Reflection!" With a blinding flash of light, an orb that was the exact same style as my Nova Star blast came rocketing from the mirror, hurtling towards me with lightning speed. I knew I wasn't fast enough to evade it no matter what I tried, so I braced myself for the impact, tightening every muscle in my body to keep myself from falling when it did collide with my side.

The sound of a sudden rush of wind overpowered the surge of my own attack, and when I looked back at the impending offense, a powerful wind blew it off of its course and into the side of a rock instead of me. I knew that that wasn't any ordinary breeze, and when I looked back to the direction of where it had come from, I was surprised to see Kazemon standing there, just beginning to regain her composure from using such an attack to lend me a helping hand. Kumamon was at her side. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of the other Warriors—Agunimon included—fighting Ranamon. _If we can corner them together, it'll be a lot easier than destroying them one by one...but I think I'm going to need Kumamon and Kazemon's help…_

A single glance over at the both of them was all it took for them to get the gist of the plan and become more than willing to give me a hand. It was almost hard to believe that the three of us were really getting along when only a night or so ago we were practically at each other's throats. We were finally working together as the team we had always been meant to be, none of us trying to be the hero and risking everyone's lives. All of us, we knew what to do now, for we'd been with each other for just the right amount of time, fought at each other's side and fought each other long enough to know. We were all one with each other, and with our Digimon Spirits. _But why do I still feel all alone then? I can barely feel them here with me._

Trying desperately to shake all thoughts from my head, I advanced against Mercurymon again, this time with Kumamon and Kazemon at my right and my left. Kumamon went in first, the snow falling around him making his white fur seem much brighter, almost like it was healthier and much sleeker. Like he was stronger than he ever had been before, not counting when he'd first used his Beast Spirit. "Blizzard Blaster!" Raising his green gun, multiple blobs of snow formed ice around Mercurymon's feet, freezing him in place without anywhere to go.

Kazemon came in for a strike after glancing at me to see if I would take him out now, but I gave a slight shake of my head and she rushed in without a second thought. "Tempest Twist!" She exclaimed as she pulled a handstand and sent rapid kicks into the metal Warrior. The ice broke from around his feet and legs, and as he began to fall to the ground, I came up from behind him again, and slammed my heavy paw onto him, my strong claws making deep gashes in the green metal that made up his shoulder.

All three of us stood with our gazes locked upon him as we allowed him to stand, knowing full well that there was no way that he stood a chance against all three of us at one time and we could easily have destroyed him right here and now. He, seeing that he was greatly outnumbered, backed away as quickly as his feet would allow him, and we pursued him, pressing him to keep going lest he fall under our offense again.

With Kumamon and Kazemon walking on either side of me, it was even more obvious who I served, who I would always serve. I was the Legendary Warriors' beast, and I would forever own that title. That was one thing that no one could take from me no matter how far down into the black they wanted to drag me, or how far away from my friends they tried to pull me. It was like severing the moon from the sky. It just wouldn't happen.

Just as Mercurymon returned to Calmaramon's side, she took a precautious step back and asked in a panicking voice, "How did ya'll get so strong?" The three of us stopped next to the other three Warriors, forming a kind of stance like a little army. I was the only one in a Beast Spirit form, but that didn't bother me. Taking up the rear of our regiment, I could see the water particles in my breath rushing out before my nostrils every time that I breathed, and I could see the others' breath as well. It was a good feeling, knowing they were all alive, as strange as that sounded.

Agunimon's voice was stronger than it had ever been before as he called out over to them, his vocals reverberating loudly despite the roaring winds and pounding thunder, "We have a stronger ally than you could ever imagine!" Holding up an arm perpendicular to his armored chest, fire surged serenely from the little holes that were almost randomly placed on his wrists and feet. The red and orange heat billowed and blew around unpredictably in the breeze.

The Warrior of Steel seemed to get the idea behind the snow, thunder, and wind before his watery friend. The astonishment that Agunimon had been clever enough to be able to come to such a conclusion—not to mention what kind of power it took to bring about nature's force to do one's bidding—evident in his voice as he exclaimed, "They're using the forces of nature to amplify their attacks! The Master will be displeased…" Either Mercurymon was very, very loyal to Cherubimon, so much so that he hated to fail, or Cherubimon wasn't exactly a forgiving lord.

"Forget the Master!" Calmaramon was obviously unconcerned about either outcome, and was much more aware of the eminent reality of being destroyed by our inconceivable power, for the two of them—the whole Digital World, even—had never seen our group at this level before. It was almost like this were some kind of dream, and one false move would cause all of us to awaken and see the true danger that we were in. But it wasn't happening. "What about us?"

I couldn't stop a small snarl from escaping my lips, the thrill of this long-lasting battle finally coming to a close that was nearing faster and faster invigorating me to the point that I was starting to become a bit arrogant at heart. But it wasn't that bad, it would fade, I knew it. It just showed how ecstatic I was about defeating the Warriors of Water and Steel. "Will you stop sniveling, woman?" Mercurymon shouted at Calmaramon after seeing the change in my persona, knowing that I thought that they were as good as beaten. But he didn't seem to realize that they were. There was no chance in hell that I would let such an opportunity go by without springing at it. I knew for a fact that the Legendary Warriors at my side would agree full heartedly.

Letting out a deafening battle cry that sent empowering ripples through my spine and to all of my muscles and cells, Agunimon slammed his fists together with a sound that was louder and more threatening than the thunder itself. "You won't defeat us ever again!" With a roar surging from his very soul, fire shot out from his hands when he made punching motions at the two of them, and despite the lack of foliage to catch the flames, the ground was soon overwhelmed by hues and red, orange, and blinding yellow.

Trying desperately to curl her tentacles away from the fire, Calmaramon turned to Mercurymon, who was trying to shield himself from the flames that surrounded the both of them. "Well, now what do we do?" I could smell fish frying on the breeze, but the fact that such a scent was coming from Calmaramon made me sick to my stomach. It was all I could do not to retch on Beetlemon.

"Retreat, and regroup." Mercurymon didn't seem completely pleased about such an outcome, but he saw now that it was the only thing that they could do to refrain from being destroyed and live to fight against us another day. Without another second passing by, the metallic man snapped his fingers and disappeared into his mirrors, which stunned the hell out of me. I'd really been looking forward to tearing that _rokudenashi _into itty bitty little pieces. Apparently, that wasn't the plan.

Calmaramon rushed away from us with a pathetic little scream, throwing herself over the edge of a cliff and rushing down it as if she were swimming down and down to hide in the deep darkness of the ocean's abyss. The only thing that I wanted to do was go rushing after her, but I knew deep in my own heart that I had other business to attend to: Guarding the Legendary Warriors, watching for any signs of Raveamon, the like. But Calmaramon's parting words told me that she'd be back, that both of them would eventually, "You little brats! This isn't over!" _Sweet. I'll be here._

As soon as they were one-hundred-percent sure that the evil Warriors were gone for good, the five Legendary Warriors raised their fists and let out a triumphant shout. A smile of my own formed on my wolfish face, and I couldn't help but let out an earsplitting howl of my own. The Digimon that I'd fought beside this whole while covered their ears against the loud sound, but when I finished it, they laughed and did their own little imitations of my howl, which I couldn't help but smile at. But it began to fade when I realized two things: the Verre Collar was gone, and I had to leave the Legendary Warriors now.

I had to separate myself from them emotionally. It would be best for all of us, even though an exact reason was escaping my mind. Maybe it would help to protect them, for there would be no connection between us with which our enemies could use against me. Once upon a time, I'd been able to make such good excuses to get away from people, from everyone, but now…the only thing I wanted was to be loved like everyone else was. I was human, and that's the one vital thing that every being needs desperately. Food, water, shelter, none of it matters unless one is loved.

And here I was, forcing everyone who'd ever tried to love me away. But I just couldn't stop. I didn't want to.

Turning from them with my eyes downcast and my head hung slightly, I started to make my way across the colorless dust, the particles of the Digital World such an unhealthy gray that it constantly reminded me just how ill and hurt the world was, and everything that existed in and on it. It made me hurt inside to think of all the others that had hurt to bring this world so much pain, as if it could feel their pain. And mine.

"Toshiku?" I came to a sudden stop when Kazemon's voice called out after me, and I heard the fluttering of her wings as she came up to my side. If I'd been able to see her eyes, I wouldn't have had to listen for the confusion in her voice. "Where are you going? We just beat them, you don't have to go and fight again!" For once in the whole time that I'd known Kazemon, she sounded genuinely concerned about me, and I didn't choose to mistake it for an attempt at getting me to do whatever it is that she wanted me to. She just wanted me to be safe.

With an exasperated sigh, I half-turned to face the floating fairy Digimon, tire in my eyes from thinking of a way to explain this that would move her to just let me go. So far, I wasn't coming up with much. "Zoe, I…There are some things in this world, between Sentinels and Legendary Warriors, that must be done in order to reach each of our full potentials. I have to…umm," My mind was starting to draw a blank on clever things to say, and it was starting to become clear that the only thing that I could really say was the cold, hard truth.

A final sigh escaped quietly from my nose in a last attempt to calm my nerves enough to level out my voice. I didn't want to sound thrilled about leaving, and I didn't want to show that I was on the edge of a breakdown either. Because neither was completely true. "…I have to separate myself from you guys sentiment-wise, all Sentinels have to learn that after a while. It just took a lot of pain, and a hell of a lot of time for me to figure it out. And I'm sorry, but I—"

"…You don't have to be sorry, Toshiku," I was surprised as hell when Kazemon cut off my apology, before she couldn't get enough of me saying that I was wrong. Why was she going around telling me to stop now? Had she gone through this huge change when I'd been away? "You're a Sentinel, different from us in a way, and I know that that means that there are some things that you've got to do differently. And even though I hate to have to stand by and let you go off on your own…" Her face rose again from looking at the ground to meet mine again, and there was a sad smile on her face. I'd never seen such an expression on her face, at least not aimed at me. "But if you think that it'll help you sort your life out and figure some things out for yourself, then I…I think I can let a friend like you go off by yourself for a while. But don't you get to thinking that you're off the hook, because I'll come and get you if you're ever in danger."

I couldn't stop staring at Kazemon. Had she just…decided to let me leave? Without so much as an argument? For a moment, I could've sworn that she was just yanking on my leg, trying to break down this one hope that I'd had. But then, why would she have thought of such a reason for me wanting to go off on my own? What the hell would've given Zoe the idea that I thought I needed to change myself, find something that would help me sort everything out? Of course, that was the only thing I'd wanted for a long time now…but I'd never said anything about it to anyone that would've mentioned it to her.

Or did she know me a lot better than I'd ever known her? Had she tried, while I just sat back and did what I could to hate everything about her?

With those thoughts now plaguing me as well, I began to turn from her, but then her voice rang out again, "Oh, Toshiku, wait! I almost forgot something!" I'd barely had time to stop before Kazemon was putting something around my neck, sending my brain into a slight state of panic. But I calmed when she came back down from above me and hovered in front of me with a sweet, but sad smile upon her face again. "I found the Verre Collar on the ground when you were first fighting Mercurymon, so I picked it up, hoping that I'd have the chance to get it back to you since I know how important it is to you. I figured that you would be pretty beat-up about losing it."

Glancing down ever so slightly, I saw that she wasn't lying, and the Verre Collar really was there again, resting above my fur like it always had been before. Each of the verres seemed to sparkle as almost all of the Elements shot and danced all around them. I could feel their power weaving through me again, and I recalled now just how much of my soul was made up of what they gave up. All of my exhaustion and physical pain seemed to numb and numb until they were just dull throbs, and soon I couldn't feel it at all.

Returning my attention to Kazemon, I gave her an appreciative smile as a thank-you, something that I wasn't sure that I'd ever really done before. _Well, I doubt that I have, 'cause when was the last time that I cared if Zoe was here or not?_ My mind was right, but it only reminded me of how cold I'd been to her, how I'd ignored and loathed her every chance I'd gotten. It hurt me inside, where the verres couldn't protect me, but I tried to ignore it as I started away from Kazemon and the others again, glad that none of the other Warriors had made a move to come after me.

As Kazemon started back towards the others, Beetlemon and Agunimon rushed forward to meet her, trying to get around her to chase after me. _Spoke too soon. I'd better get out of here before they catch up._ Despite the amount of distance I could cover when I ran, I could still hear their words, all of their voices—except Kazemon's—racing with anxiety and shaken by my leaving so suddenly.

Agunimon was the only one to piece all of these feelings together to find words. "Zoe, let me go after her! Why is she leaving, what happened? What the heck is going on?" His words were all blending together with the speed of his questions, but I knew that it was because of how he felt for me. If it had been him instead of Kazemon that I'd spoken with only a moment before, there wouldn't be any chance of me getting out of here. _Fate sure knows us well._

The Warrior of Wind was much harder to hear, but I could still sense her voice somehow, and I could almost feel what she was saying as if the notes were being played in my soul like a piano or a guitar. It was a sad song. "We have to let her go her own way for a little while, Takuya. She needs some time to sort some things out, you know, like you did. You may not have realized it, but you sure seem like you've changed for the better. I think…Toshiku saw the change and you…and she's wondering to herself, 'If Takuya can find a way to be a better him, where is the real me? Who am I anyways?'

"We just need to give her a bit of time. Everyone needs to be alone every now and then, I suppose." Tears sprung to my werewolf eyes as her words began to reverberate in my head, banging around as if they were coated with steel. My whole soul and heart combined hurt so much for a second I thought I was going to end up stumbling because of the inner agony. _How can you know me better than I know myself, Zoe? I never let you in, and yet you seem to read me as if you were there my whole life, as if you were a sister to me. How do you know me? And better yet, why did you spend so much time learning about someone that you could barely stand to be around?_

And there you have it, Chapter 23. Up next, that not-so-Sakkakumon-Sakkakumon-episodes! The 'not-so' part comes from the fact that I'm not exactly sure if Toshiku is going to actually get sucked up into Sakkakumon with the others or if she's going to have her own little thing go on in a different way that I can't tell you guys about since it'll take up like five chapters. So, if you guys have a preference (Sakkakumon or go with different route) you can let me know in your review because that would really give me a hand, but if not then I'll figure something out depending on how it all falls into place. Nevertheless, thanks for reading and please review, and hopefully I will have some of the 'Sakkakumon' chapters done a bit faster.


	26. Chapter 24: Everglow

I can hardly believe that i did over half of this in one day. I'm happy that I got it done like I wanted to, though XD. This is the first of my 'Sakkakumon' chapters, and hopefully, even though they're a lot shorter than my normal chapters, they turn out okay. Hope you guys like it, and sorry it took so long for me to get this chapter out.

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Chapter 24: Everglow

I dropped to the ground next to a small creek with an exhausted huff, my Beast Spirit's body aching and throbbing with pain. Lowering my pained head into the water just enough so that my nose was still above the surface, I let the coolness of the rushing water numb some of my hurt away. I'd felt pains worse than this over the course of this journey, and the physical pain didn't bother me that much anymore. My head was still throbbing with the memories of when I ended it with Koji.

But, to be brutally honest, we didn't really have anything to end. Of course, we'd felt something for each other, something deep, something that hurt like hell when I had to rip it apart. There was nothing good about what I'd done, at least, it really didn't feel like it. I knew the deep inside I'd fully understand my own reasoning, though I did have the tiniest bit of a grasp on my inner thoughts. Only hope could comfort me whenever I wondered if Koji would ever understand.

There hadn't been much I could have explained, no matter how long I pondered such things. If I'd known what to say or how to say it, maybe I would've considered talking to him about this a bit more. But I didn't, and I doubted that it was going to become much clearer any time soon. For now, I had to learn to be satisfied with knowing I was safe for the time being. At least, as safe as a person could be in this world.

_Makes ya wonder how everyone else is…_ I gave my head a quick shake, attempting to change the subject of my thoughts. My mind was a very powerful thing, and if I didn't keep it in check, I would end up with the Legendary Warriors and we would be exactly like we were before. We were better off separated. I knew it, and they would learn to live with the truth. _But what if I'm wrong again? What if I made a mistake by leaving them?_

I'd thought that I'd left the group for their well-being, to keep them safe, Sentinel reasons, and stuff like that, but was that just something that I'd made up to fool myself into actually going through with it? Zoe'd thought that she knew why I wanted to go off on my own, and part of me wanted to think that she was right. But was she?

That part of me knew that I'd left because I'd noticed how everyone else had changed somehow, and I hadn't. I was the same person I'd been when I got to this world, and I didn't understand that. What was my damage that I couldn't find some way to fix myself? What was wrong with me that I was impervious to this change? It wasn't because there was nothing to change because there was no way in hell that this was how normal people felt: Sick, confused, twisted and torn and broken…I felt like the only thing left for me to go through was death itself.

_No, stop thinking about that. There's more you have to do than that. It's not your time to go yet. But what the _seiko_ am I supposed to be doing, then?_ The spats that I had with myself were starting to wear me down, like sand paper to wood or a knife to rope. Eventually, there isn't going to be anything left. But I could still feel things. I could see, hear, breathe. I could do everything that anyone else could do. Although, I couldn't seem to give a real smile anymore, I could barely recall how it truly felt to be happy.

I could see myself smiling, laughing, thinking about the moment I was in and nothing else. There was nothing that could take me down back then, nothing that I would surrender to. I still refused to give in no matter the consequence, but all those memories were just that. Memories. I could see the way that I'd felt, and imagine it as best I could, but that was it. It was complicated, even to me, but it was the truth. I hated it, the way I couldn't understand so many things in and about this world.

From a few feet away from me, I just barely noticed something moving around beneath the surface of the water. Leaping up onto my feet, I bared my teeth, the hair on the back of my neck rising in tension and anger for being disturbed. I was about ready to pounce at the creature when I realized what it really was: A few small Digimon were playing on the riverbed.

I allowed my body to relax, and I fell back down onto the ground, my head falling into the shallow edge of the river. How could there possibly be happiness in this place? I mean, I didn't mind the dark at all; I loved it, to be perfectly honest. But in this kind of darkness, in this world…how could anything have the nerve to be content, to feel any kind of cheerfulness or joy? There was none in this place. Nothing of the sort.

As I closed my eyes, I almost expected someone to say, 'Oh, I wouldn't say that. There are plenty of Digimon who're happy, despite everything that's going on', but there was no one around to say such a thing. I could picture Zoe saying that, it just sounded like the way she thought of things. Always trying to turn me in the right direction, whether I wanted her to or not. She acted like an annoying older sister or something, even though she was younger than me.

In a way, though, I guess I didn't mind the fact that she did those things. After all, it did mean that she cared enough about me to risk physical pain for my sake, even if that hurt would me caused by me in the end. Now, I even regretted hurting her, in any way. I'd done what was evil in the eyes of all, and, no matter what anyone else said, I was failing to do my duty as a Sentinel. I was losing the battle inside of me, between good and evil, the band of angels and the lone demonic being.

Suddenly, a ravenous chill rippled through me, as if I'd been touched by a ghoul's hand. The air became much colder, the whole atmosphere taking on a sinister feel, and it began to thicken as if a poisonous smog was polluting the air all around me. Something was wrong, something was different than before. Something was here, with me.

I thought to rise to my feet, but that would alert the being that I was aware of their presence, and that wasn't a good idea. So, still not certain of what I was doing, I remained on the ground, but my eyes were open now. They flashed back and forth, hoping for some kind of sign as to what was nearing my place of rest and peace. I could still sense movement beneath me, so I assumed that the little Digimon in the water below me hadn't noticed the change in the air from peaceful to evil.

As I laid there, my mind paced back and forth in my skull, my brain and heart thumping in anticipation. Could it be one of the Three, hiding from me in their own invisible way, appearing only as a charge of misplaced data, or a wave of immense heat? Or was it the Legendary Warriors about to unintentionally cross my path? Whatever it was, it was close to me, and wasn't about to stop.

Glancing yet again in all direction, even upwards, and seeing nothing, confusion began to grow in my head, adding to the throbbing pain that was already housed there. Why weren't they here yet? Were they still hiding from me, or had the creature been farther from me than I'd once thought? My senses couldn't have been wrong, though, for they'd never been wrong before. But…if they weren't wrong, and the being wasn't in hiding…then what was going on?

During my long moment of thought and wonderings, a hand with sharp nails suddenly shot from the water. It stopped before my face, and before I could make any movement, it came down at me, the talon-like nails digging harshly into my nose. I jumped onto my feet with a high-pitched whine of pain, and skittered away from the water's edge. Turning with a fierce look in my eyes, anger boiling inside of me because of the sneak attack that had caused such a pain in such a useful organ, I watched with a touch of fear as Sentimon rose up out of the water.

She took slow, deliberate steps, seeming to have something else on her mind as she walked towards me. But soon, her eyes cleared of her other thoughts, and she stared at me, a sickly smile beginning to spread across her mouth when she saw the blood drip from my wounded nose. I almost felt sick; Sentimon was addicted to the same kind of thing that my own Human Spirit was. They were both contorted, twisted, and psychotic.

But that brought another thought to my head. _Who…if this isn't the real Sentimon…who was she before? Who is this being?_ If Raveamon and Sentimon were so similar, could there be a chance that there was another being within the maniacal psyche of Sentimon's outer soul? If it could happen to one Digimon, then surely it could happen to another, but Bokomon never told me anything about any of the Three, as if they really weren't true Digimon. But they had to be, every creature in this world, no matter how evil, was some kind of Digimon.

Except for us humans, of course, but that was obvious.

As Sentimon came up out of the water, I looked at her in a different way than I had before. Now, I was looking for anything that seemed familiar to me, anything at all. She walked as if she were a lioness readying herself for the final stride, the leap that stood between her and a fresh kill. Her eyes, though they look clouded and ill, were stone cold and drilled into me like cold, unforgiving steel. There was something about the way that she stared at me that made me shudder; it was like watching a parent coming to punish you after something awful that you'd done.

I flexed all of my muscles and snarled, trying to make myself look larger and more menacing, hoping that maybe I could scare her away like I did the first time I had my Beast Spirit. But she didn't seem fazed at all, and I wasn't surprised after I thought for another minute. She'd seen my Beast Spirit quite a few times now; nothing about me took her off guard anymore. I no longer had the element of surprise on my side, while she, on the other hand, still did.

Sentimon stopped moving still a few yards away from me, but she was still close enough that I could hear and see the little drops of water falling from her armor and hair. From this distance—or lack of it—I could see that the shade of her eyes were faded, as if she were tired and would rather just leave me here alive and say she killed me. However, what bothered me the most wasn't the fact that she wanted to be done with me quickly and would use a lot more effort to do so.

Something was wrong with her. And I needed to know what.

"Lord Cherubimon has commanded me to deal with you," Even her voice sounded strange, like she was trying not to throw-up or something. Her words were short and quick, like she wanted to get everything out before I had a chance to process any of them. The evil Sentinel didn't even seem to be looking at me. "He doesn't want you dead yet, but he wants you dealt with. But if you end up as a dead dog, I refuse to take the blame for your incompetence!" With a scream that reminded me of a lady about to be eaten by the monster in a horror movie, Sentimon pulled her _chikushou_ whip out of nowhere and slashed me across the face with it.

The leather burned like fire, and I leapt away from her before she had the chance to land another blow. Her shouts and her attacks had become synchronized as they sped up, every other strike hitting the target. Unsure of how to go about fighting her, I danced around her, dodging each and every offense that she could muster. "Running away now, are you? Like you should've done when you first met that moronic little group of so-called Warriors." Her words caught my attention, even if it would've been better for me if I'd simply ignored her. I thought for a moment that I should ignore her statement.

But I just couldn't do it.

Seeing that she had my undying attention, she didn't waste any time in poisoning my soul and mind. It was what demons like her did best. They tore your heart out and forced you to watch it slowly drain of blood, until its beating finally slowed, and stopped. "I trust that you remember when you first met everyone; encounters that you'll never forget, no doubt. When you first laid eyes on that lone wolf, you knew right then and there that you wouldn't be able to keep heart away from him, let alone your hands.

"You and Koji seemed to find that special link almost right away, but the both of you danced around it for the longest time, taunting and mocking one another's hearts until it was finally too much for either of you to take. But even that didn't stop you from hurting him in all those ways, did it, Toshiku?" Her grin widened into a narcissistic, mocking smile, stretching from ear to ear across her face. I snarled at her, lunging with my claws outstretched, ready to tear into her.

She was, however, too quick for me to reach her in time, and I succeeded in only slightly catching her side with my sharp claws. I wanted to say something in retaliation, but all that she said was true. We had played around with each other's emotions for the longest time before eventually becoming something, only to end up trying to kill each other. All I could do was glare at her with all the hatred in my heart, and will myself the ability to kill her without feeling any kind of guilt afterwards.

"Oh, but let's not forget about everyone else," I almost outwardly cringed when she continued to speak in such a malevolent voice. She knew that she was driving me towards a breakdown, and there was no way that the Sentinel of Sunlight was going to let up and give me a break now. Unless it was me breaking myself down into nothing like always. "When you met little Tommy, you promised to sacrifice your soul to protect him, and what did he do in return for your oath? He turns on you. He abandoned you to face the fires of your fear all alone, while he reaped the benefits of your absence.

"And JP, the chocolate-lover of the group. You should know that that little speech after your precious WereGarumon died was only to gain sympathy from you so that you might submit to him, do whatever he wished of you. You acted as a lapdog to them, Toshiku, especially him. Doing what he asked, listening and answering when he needed someone, and still he hates you. You should've crushed him in your jaw when you had the chance. And you know it well—"

Suddenly, a scream that wasn't of my own mind rippled through my head, it was as if someone had been shoved without any kind of warning. I closed my eyes tightly at the pain that it sent ricocheting throughout my brain as I waited impatiently for it to finally subside. I recognized the sound of the voice after it had faded from my mind, realizing then that it was JP. It was now that I knew I had to get away from Sentimon. I had to find the Legendary Warriors, I had to stay closer to them.

Obviously seeing the urgency to leave her displayed on my features, Sentimon reacted quickly to my want to leave. The dark Sentinel lashed her whip out at me, the sharp, glass-embedded leather wrapping around one of my front paws. "Oh, I don't think you're going to be going anywhere, puppy. Our little talk is just starting to get good," She gave it a swift tug, dragging me towards her and flopping ungracefully onto the ground.

As I regained my stance, I straightened my posture, raising my muzzle to point towards the darkness that was the sky as if I were about to howl. "Innovative Star!" The throbbing ball of energy surged out of my body at an alarming speed. With a toss of my head, the attack slammed into Sentimon with a great force, enough to send her flying backwards a few feet, though the yank on the whip dealt a bit of damage to me since it was still stuck around my foreleg.

Even after a strike like that, I was surprised that Sentimon wasn't smiling maniacally anymore. Her tired, weary appearance came back to her in a flash, and it seemed as if the only thing she wanted to do right now was to leave me and let another of the Three finish me off for her. But, apparently, that wasn't going to be the plan. On shaky limbs, she rose up from the crater her impact had made in the ground, and she drew closer to me again.

Her voice almost seemed quieter now, but the sting of her words hadn't faded in the least. "And don't let me forget that little Fire Warrior, him and those big brown eyes. But beauty often hides the worst things from us, doesn't it? He practically dared you to lose control, to try and kill them all. How could he possibly care about you if he knew what you were capable of doing, and let you act out like that despite it? He wanted a reason to get rid of you, just like the rest of them did.

"But there was one out of them all that truly, truly hated you, wasn't there, Toshiku? That little blonde girl, Zoe Orimoto. She had a few bones to pick with you, didn't she? The little mosquito never wanted to leave you alone; she would keep coming back to suck at your happy life—or, at least as happy as a miserably pathetic little whelp like you can be—until there was nothing left for you to call your own, and everything that you'd ever cared for was sitting there in the palm of her hand.

"Each and every one of them has a motive for driving you away. It was their plan for you to think that it would be best if you left; you played right into their hands, and all this while, you thought you were doing the right thing. No, Toshiku. You made a mistake. Every choice you made was the wrong one. Coming to this world, searching for your Beast Spirit, choosing to stay and fight alongside the others, everything you did was all wrong! _You_ are nothing but a _failure_!"

I stared at Sentimon, her words seeming to buzz around my head like bees, searching for a way inside my head so that they could register and become part of my brain forever. I didn't want to believe what she told me, but everything that she said…it made so much sense. I couldn't help but see it through her eyes, through the eyes that knew what was all going down in this wretched place. How could I have been so blind?

_No! Toshiku, stop listening to her. She's trying to get you to come to her side of the playing field. She's trying to trick you! _My thoughts jolted me quickly from my state of slight belief in Sentimon's lies. It was becoming frightening, though, just how weak and easily moldable my mind had become since Raveamon and all of her trickery. Yet again, the remembrance of my Human Spirit made me feel like I was going to puke right there in the middle of this fight.

Curling my upper lip so Sentimon could see my canines, I growled at her, my voice thick with anger and hatred, "You're wrong about me, and you're wrong about my _friends_. We may've hit a lot of rough places since we met, but they wouldn't just give up on me like that, and I won't do it to them either! I left them because it had to be done, because it is what I _had_ to do," I slammed my foot against the ground, making the crust shudder and shake. "I have not failed!" Staring fiercely at Sentimon, I waited for her reply, any kind of reaction at all that would show how she felt.

However, she did nothing but stare right back at me, twirling three baseball-sized orbs of bright light-energy around the palm of her hand as if using magic. I could tell that it was her usual attack, Astral Flare, but more minified. There was no expression on her face, and it made me wonder exactly what she was thinking. After a few more minutes of our staring contest, she spoke up, her voice monotone and emotionless, "There is something in you that knows that _that_ is a lie.

"You believe that you have failed them, and you know that it is because of your inability to control how you act due to your feelings. Everything you've ever done that was a mistake was because of a little whim in your heart that you decided to follow, and who knows where you could've ended up if you hadn't. But sometimes," Her all-knowing, evil grin returned to her face, though it still had that exhausted air to it. "Your emotions did lead you to do Lord Cherubimon's will, didn't it? Don't you remember, Toshiku? Think about it, just for a moment…" Her eyes lost their tired expression, and began to glow faintly, like the first light of the morning sun before it blazed into heated, burning life.

I knew that I should probably look away from her, but I couldn't turn away. Cocking my head to the side in curiosity, my own sight began to fade into a bright white, all the color fading from me as Sentimon forced me into the recesses of my memories, though they weren't entirely mine. She was implanting different aspects and changes in my brain.

* * *

_The wind was howling like a zombie as it race through the trees, swinging around the lampposts like elementary school children before disappearing into the darkening sky. I wasn't quite sure where I was anymore, my eyes not recognizing any part of this neighborhood. But it didn't bother me for some reason, even though I knew I should've gotten back to the orphanage by now. They were going to be so pissed at me._

_ I knew that I should probably turn around and retrace my steps, but I couldn't bring myself to do so. It was as if something was pulling me, urging me to continue on for whatever reason. I didn't know to fight the yearning or not, so I let my feet take the rest of my body wherever they wanted to go. I didn't give a crap if they were mad when I got back this late. I didn't care if I ever got back at all._

_ Staring at the ground as I walked, I watched as the shadows on the pavement ran quickly to hide from the light that the lampposts sent off in all directions. The only darkness that didn't try to run away was that of my own shadow. It never seemed to want to leave me; it was the best company that anyone could ever ask for. _

_ As I moved along with my hands shoved deep in my pockets, I glanced up, only to see the one place that I never wanted to be near again: My old neighborhood. Everything seemed the same to me, even though it had been months since I'd last been here. My soul wanted to stop, to go back to the orphanage and let my heart keep healing from the incident at the hospital, but a far stronger part of me commanded my body to move onward. _

_ Meandering slowly and quietly down the middle of the street, I looked at each of the houses, searching for something to recognize in each of them. One had the curtains drawn, and I just barely remembered that they'd almost never had them open at night for fear of perverted robbers peering through the window before breaking in. The local prison was pretty close by, so I'd always thought that it would be a good reminder for anyone who tried that kind of a thing what could happen if they were to mess up._

_ Another had each and every window open all over the house, though the screens appeared quite thick from this far away. After staring for a little while, I recalled that the man who lived there had a heart that was much bigger than the average size, and that made him produce much more heat than a normal person. So, he always had the windows open, not seeming to care if someone tried to get in since he was pretty well-built for his age. _

_ House after house, I remembered more and more, most of the memories being either somewhat cheerful or just random little things that came to mind. But then, I came to one house that I could've recognized from miles away. Staring up at my old home, I didn't know what to think, or even what to do. Should I go in? It didn't look like anyone lived there; the door was open a little bit. Or could that have been the new owner's fault, having accidentally left it open. It always had been a pain to open and close._

_ I didn't see any cars in the driveway, and it seemed pretty quiet. No light shined out from any of the windows, so no one was awake inside if someone did live there now. I gazed up at the windows, waiting patiently for any kind of sign that would tell me if there was someone in there. I had to be completely sure before I went ahead and barged in there. To be honest, I was even a little scared of the memories that would pour into my mind if I did end up going in there. _

_ As I was staring intently up at the window, a shadow suddenly passed over it. I thought for a moment that it was just a bird or a bat flying by, but as I watched for a little bit longer, the shaded figure appeared to be on the inside of the house, and it was no shadow. It was an actual being in there. Someone was living there now. I knew that I should get out of the light of the street and hide from the person in the darkness until they thought I'd left, but I couldn't move. It was like I was hypnotized by this being. _

_ I was so lost in thought, I barely even noticed when it started to drizzle, the light rain turning into a thunder storm incredibly fast. I didn't mind the fact that I was soaked to the skin, my hair dripping wet and sticking to my face. I just watched the person, and they gazed right back at me. A red hot sense of fear broke out throughout my body when the person put his hand up on the glass of the window, and shattered all of it with a single push. _

_ With the glass now gone, I could see the face of the other being clearly, and my eyes grew wide with horror at the image that I saw before me. Grinning at me there from within the house, there was the monster that had haunted me the last night that my family was alive at that hospital. I could see his pointy, yellowing teeth, and his eyes, a much brighter yellow than that of his teeth. The huge hand that was now hanging on the window had a couple of blood-oozing scratches all across it from the glass, the little drops falling down from his spike-like nails along with the black rain. _

_ Upon seeing my reaction to his presence, his wicked smile stretched from one side of his face all the way to the other, his bright, sickening eyes becoming mere slits. I could feel the fear running through my body as if it were a runner knowing that they were in danger of losing one of the most important races of their life. And I fled from the street pretty much just like that runner would've sprinted for the finish line._

_ The adrenaline that my fright poured into my body gave me an extra boost as I ran, but I told myself to stop and see if he was following me when I reached the end of the block. Even though my better judgment told me to keep going and not to look back, I couldn't help it and I did anyways. But there was nothing there but the pouring rain and the occasional crack of lightning. I heard nothing around me except for the pounding of my blood in my ears and the splattering of rain upon the ground._

_ Every part of me was trembling with terror at the memory of that beast, tears coming to my eyes as my inner voice continually told me that I was just like that thing. A liar and a monster. My conscience could be so vicious when it wanted to be. But my inner self was also working to arouse a curiosity within me, making me want with all my being to go back and actually enter the house. _

_ The thought intrigued me to the point where I began to twitch at random moments, like a murderer probably felt when he sensed the urge to watch blood flow over his hands. I turned around slowly, staring down the street, waiting to see if the monster would tear out of the house and come after me. But nothing happened, and I took that as a sign that it was my turn to make a move. _

_ I started back towards the house. _

_ Each of the other homes seemed further away from me now, as if they were afraid of what was about to happen, as if they knew. I wished that I could rush into one of them, hide from the yellow-eyed being and the fingers that yearned to drag me back to hell with him. My breaths came in short gasps at the horrifying thoughts that kept coming into my head from all directions with no way for me to stop them. My paranoia was starting to intertwine with my panic, making me see clowns with blood covering their mouths hiding behind trees, men with axes and syringes filled with sedating drugs lurking the shadows between the houses. _

_ But there was only one monster that I was concerned about right now. The others would have to wait._

_ I stopped before fully walking up the steps to the front door, hiding momentarily behind the fence that separated my old home from one of the neighbors. Peeking over the top of the fence, I looked straight at the now broken window, searching for any sign of the monster, but seeing nothing there but its blood on the broken glass. I wasn't sure if it was good that it wasn't there anymore, but I made my move for the front door despite not knowing._

_ The door was still that little ways open when I came up to it, and thankfully it didn't creak and squeal like I thought it would when I swung it open with utmost care. Everything in the home that I could see so far was just how I'd left it, with all of the pictures that I'd left behind still hanging on the wall and every piece of paraphernalia still in its proper place. And still no sign of the hideous yellow eyes._

_ I walked steadily into the room, ready to grab something to defend myself with if the opportunity reared its ugly head. But everything was quiet around me, and the occasional lightning told me that I was currently the only one in the room. I was, however, a little worried that I would end up mistaking the creature's horrendous growl for a boom of thunder and would end up being bitten by it. Who knows what would happen if that were to occur?_

_ As I started to make my way towards the hallway leading to the steps, a family picture caught my eye. I stopped and took a closer look at it, leaning in towards the photo. It was one of my fonder memories, one of the first times we went out to a nearby lake when Daijiro had been about three or so. Daijiro had his arms wrapped around my neck and was jumping up on my back while I was sitting, his eyes closed as he was laughing. I was smiling, and my eyes showed a bit of surprise. Both my mother and father were laughing at the scene going on before them. I couldn't help but smile at the old memory._

_ I kept moving up the stairs with a bit more of a lighter air to my steps, happiness now showing in my movements. I didn't feel quite so afraid of what was unknown to me in the darkness now. There were only four rooms on second floor of the house: my bedroom, Daijiro's bedroom, a bathroom, and a closet. The room closest to the top of the steps was Daijiro's room. I didn't have many extremely good recent memories of this place._

_ However, I couldn't stop myself from wandering into the cold, dark room._

_ The moment I touched the door handle, I could feel myself beginning to tremble, recalling how many time's I'd hurt Daijiro in this very room. I cringed at the recollection, it seemed so new, so fresh. For a moment, I thought I could still hear him crying. I released my grip on the handle and kept moving. I couldn't forgive myself for what I'd done to him. And I couldn't bring myself to set one foot inside that room._

_ Nothing important came to mind when I passed the bathroom or the hallway closet, so I went to the closed door of my room instead. Upon putting my palm on the handle and turning it, I felt nothing but the chill of the metal, no horrible memories surged through me yet. I swung the door open, and was greeted immediately with the sight of the dark purple monster._

_ He'd been facing the wall before I'd come in, but turned with a grin to face me when he noticed I was there. We both stood there and stared at the other, neither of us moving. I wasn't quite sure that I could even if I wanted to. Desperately, the urge to run pounded in my head, but I was afraid that he would pounce from his place and catch me with ease if I tried to get away so quickly like that. _

_ I cringed and took a swift step back when the creature moved slightly, only to trip over my own feet and fall on my back. Sitting up quickly, I saw that the purple thing had only shifted over to the side so that I could see what had been on the wall behind him. The being held his hand up, gesturing for me to look at the wall. Lightning flashed just as my eyes wandered over the space he was pointing to, and the place was lit up just enough for me to be able to see what was there. _

_ The creature had written something there, etched it into the very wall: You will be mine—_

* * *

"Stop!" I howled, my Beast Spirit chest aching with how much force I'd put into the single word. The shine of recollection had left my now closed eyes, and my body was trembling now more than ever, never having felt anything like that before. Sentimon had literally taken one of my memories and transformed it into something completely different. I could barely even remember the real memory anymore, let alone rid my mind of that horrid creature. Or what it had written.

Sentimon stared at me, the brightness having left her eyes as well. There was a lack of surprise in her eyes, as if she'd expected me to stop her at one point or another. Her voice was colder than it had been before as she hissed, "You think that you're a Sentinel, a Guardian of Moon. What a sick, twisted lie!" Her whisper turned into a shout as her words continue to fall. "Your soul holds you back from your true potential! Let go of that last touch of innocence within you, and be all that you want! It's not impossible to be invincible! Just. Let. Go—"

"No! Shut up, Sentimon!" I screamed back at her, lunging at her with my claws outstretched, my rage acting as fuel for the fire within me. I wanted to be alone so I could think, so that I could try to piece together what was the truth, and that which was lies. "You don't know me! I'm not like you; I am a Sentinel, and I will not fall to your taunting!" I slashed my claws against her, only to have the whip slash against my side as I retreated from my successful attack.

When I turned around to watch her crumble to the ground, I saw Sentimon holding her stomach, curled over the agonizing wound. But she wasn't done. No, she wouldn't give up just like that. Not on me. Struggling back up onto her feet, I could see the pain in her face, and I realized that she didn't seem to be fighting me as hard as she had been the last few times that we'd met. _Why isn't she trying to kill me? What's the matter with her?_

There was a coldhearted, but sincere shine in her eyes as she replied, her voice coming back down to her near-monotone drone, "Toshiku, even you know that it's only a matter of time before your worst fear becomes a reality. You've seen just what you are capable of, and despite your obscene loyalty to the light, you can't help yourself. You love what you became that night, the night that Raveamon showed you just how powerful you could be. Your thirst was sated for a mere moment for the first time in your life.

"Whenever you fell from your perch in the moonlight to the shadowed ground below, you were in love with every minute of it, every single second that passed by, you treasured. The very first time your knowledge of goodness left you, you were at the strongest that you will ever be. But that time can be brought back to you, you can have that strength again," She extended her hand, offering all the power in the world to me in one little gesture. Sentimon was willing to show me the path to incredible strength, all at the cost of my soul, my loyalty to both AncientRaiafemon and the Legendary Warriors.

I stood completely still for a moment, staring at Sentimon and the hand that was reaching towards me. Then, I began to take strides towards her, my head low to the ground, but my eyes never leaving her. The other Sentinel's face began to contort itself into a malevolent smile, thinking that she had me within her noose of deceit. But she was about to learn how wrong she was. "Mondlicht Menschenwolf!" My voice echoed throughout the quiet area as I lunged towards Sentimon, my eyes glowing with bright light that misted over my whole body.

Racing towards her at an unbelievable speed, I slammed my head into her, sending her flying backwards again. However, this time she landed on her feet, no matter how shaky said dismount may've been. After regaining her balance, Sentimon came at me with such speed and agility that the only way to evade her offensive status was to leap straight up into the air as she passed me, and even then she still clipped my stomach with a slash of her whip.

"Your mind is stubborn, and incredibly stupid," Sentimon declared, not exactly sounding surprised, but still, she did appear to be a little bit stunned. Maybe it was the level of both stubbornness and stupidity that astonished her in the slightest. "After everything that you've done that was so evil, so conceited and wicked, you still believe that you have the power to change who you are on the inside. Well, let me tell something to you, child, _that_ is impossible. Your dream of being a Sentinel that has a chance of filling the shoes of your Ancient, it is implausible and completely pathetic. You will never be good enough for the Legendary Warriors, for anything but the darkness that lurks in your heart!"

Watching Sentimon breathe so heavily right now, as if she were trying desperately to convince me that she wasn't lying any more, it made me truly wonder why she was trying so hard. Why did she care about what I did, about what happened to me? Or was she just trying to do her best to follow her overlord's commands? That would also explain why she wasn't fighting so hard; she was trying to keep me alive so that they could harvest my power.

But…she was right.

Who was I kidding? There was no way that I could be a true Sentinel, not with all that I'd done. I'd both threatened and harmed those who I was designed to protect, and I hadn't even noticed that the most deadly enemy to them was hiding in plain sight: Within me. I had failed my Ancient Spirit by answering Ophanimon's call to come here. I'd brought the ultimate foe straight to the Digital World, and no clue about it had crossed my mind until we were this far along in our journey. The Rose Morning Star was close, close enough that I could almost touch it, and I was harvesting a traitor within my own body.

I could've saved myself so much more time if I'd just destroyed the Digital World on my own, without having to release Raveamon upon it. There might be less suffering that way, at least then I could say that I was doing the right thing. I would rather have to decimate everything than have Raveamon do it herself. She would probably torture everything, even the foliage. She would make all the little things suffer, and save nothing, not even the strong and the useful. Her psyche was far too scrambled to think logically like that now.

_But I'm really the same as Raveamon, aren't I? _I was an expert when it came to lying now, and I could do anything that the evil Legendary Warriors could, but better than they could ever dream. I was more powerful than most Digimon, strong enough to be a true problem for them. And with the way that the Legendary Warriors would feel for their friend, they might not even be able to stop me. Nothing would stand in my way.

I could see myself there, on the side of the darkness, taking orders from Cherubimon and Lucemon. I was commanding the armies of wicked Digimon, telling them to destroy everything that stood in their way, to let nothing survive. My eyes were clouded and cold, feeling nothing but a tickling sensation whenever I watched a forest burn or saw the data of an innocent Digimon become part of another to make it that much stronger. I feared nothing, and everything feared me.

It was all I'd ever wanted: All the power in the world. That, was exactly what Sentimon had offered me.

And now, I caught myself pondering her offer. I was truly thinking about whether or not I wanted to follow in my Human Spirit's footsteps. At least I would get to be with her, share something more than the title of a Moon Dweller. But I knew that to do that would mean to turn my back on the world that I'd sworn I would protect with my life, if necessary. However, that would never be needed if I had the kind of strength that Lucemon was able to give me.

I physically shook my head, trying to rid myself of thoughts such as these, knowing that they were wrong, but still unable to believe that they were impossible to try. I wanted to give the evil side of the world a chance; I wanted desperately to taste the power that Raveamon had been drugged with. I'd known the light all my life, but now…I wanted to feel the cold embrace of the black on my skin, feel the tears of evil slide down my cheeks.

Lack of belief at my own thoughts exploded in my mind, sending pain throughout my head. My mind ached with contradiction, and I knew that Sentimon could see my hurt. She was watching me now, intently and curiously, wondering what I could be thinking so hard about. The Sentinel of Sun had no idea that I was fighting myself about the choice that she'd given me. The one that I'd immediately refused, but now wished that I'd considered all of my options.

My voice suddenly had a mind of its own, needing to be heard, yearning to scream out the fight raging within me, attacking my brain and hosting a riot within my heart and soul. " How did this happen to me? I guess I'm to blame. I'm lying face down on the pavement, and I'm full of pain. I just refuse to see my mind in anarchy. Anticipating and debating what is left of me…~

" I am a liar. I am no model figure. I am a monster, and I am ashamed. Call me the devil, my name's what you prefer. I come on shameless, but I am ashamed. I am ashamed…~

" I look for help; can't find it anywhere. My own reflection is the one sight that I cannot bear. Look to the sky and find that even the heavens cry. Anticipating and debating what is left to life…~

" I am a liar. I am no model figure. I am a monster, and I am ashamed. Call me the devil, my name's what you prefer. I come on shameless, but I am ashamed. I am ashamed…~

" I am, I am a liar! I am no model figure! I am a monster, and I am ashamed! Call me the devil, my name's what you prefer. I come on shameless, but I am ashamed!~

" I am, I am a liar! I am no model figure! I am a monster, and I am ashamed! Call me the devil, my name's what you prefer. I come on shameless, but I am ashamed! I am ashamed!~ " I could still feel the fight going on within me, my insides wondering to themselves which side that they should choose to be on before the largest battle of them all began. My mind felt a little bit clearer, though, knowing that it was out in the open.

However, it seemed to intrigue Sentimon that that was how I expressed my pain. "You…sing?" Not really knowing how else to reply to her, and not sensing any need to make a big deal out of such an unimportant-seeming conversation, I gave her a slight nod of my head as an answer. She gave me a strange, but not creepy-strange, more like a…familiar-strange look, her eyes becoming softer—if that was possible for someone that evil. "…Why?"

This lighthearted talk was beginning to confuse me. I mean, sure, I can see why she would find me weird for singing at what seemed like an inappropriate moment, but why did she seem so gentle and sweet all of a sudden? Was it some kind of a façade or something, or was there something seriously wrong with the Digimon? _Or is it that I was right about her not being a complete Digimon?_

"…My mother always used to tell me that whenever I felt something that I couldn't control, I should sing about it. She told me that it might help me someday," I gave Sentimon a funny look; it seemed, for a moment, that she'd smiled at my words, like she knew the same memory. But, as quickly as the kindness came, it began to fade away and she became just as devious as she had been before. "Why the hell do you even care, anyways? What's that little quirk of mine to you?" I realized that I should've chosen words that didn't come off so confident and I'm-in-control-of-this-situation-like.

Raising her hands up so her palms faced the sky, I watched as she readied another Astral Flare attack, this one being similar to her little juggling act by having many little balls of energy instead of the one large one. "I don't care, Toshiku. I've never cared about you at all!" She threw all of the little orbs all at once, sending them off like grenades that moved at the speed of light. I was able to dodge some of them, but not all.

It was a clever trick, breaking up her attack instead of doing one big, powerful blow. That way, it was sure to hit me at least a little bit. I couldn't help but wonder if I would be able to do that same kind of thing with my Innovative Star attack. The next time that I wasn't in danger of being killed, I would have to give that technique a shot.

Snarling and grunting with both pain and the sudden, unexpected yearning to fight, I rose up from the spot that her attack had knocked me over, and I tried desperately to activate the Verres that still hung lifelessly around my neck. But they did nothing for me, they didn't even shine at all. Had I done something to make them useless, or was there really no use for them once they were altogether? They had individual use, otherwise the Three wouldn't have tried to fight me for them before. But now, Sentimon didn't even mention them. She didn't seem to care. Had she given up on them, or was there nothing that they could do?

I wanted strongly to throw the wretched things away from me, to curse them with all of my power, and to bury them somewhere I'd never have to let them meet my gaze ever again. But I couldn't bring myself to truly do such a thing. I'd been commanded to find them by Seraphimon and many other powerful, righteous beings. I couldn't just throw away all the pain and suffering I'd gone through to actually get them. What would I have to gain if I did that? It all would've been for absolutely nothing.

_Verres or not, I still have to fight Sentimon._ Telling myself that I didn't need the Verres over and over again, I gathered up my strength for a Menschenwolf attack. My vision faded out into a white light, and with my glittering teeth barred fiercely, I slammed my front paws into the ground, curling my claws into the dirt to give me more momentum as I rushed Sentimon. I could sense that she was preparing herself for me, using her Astral Flare attack to cover both of her arms like swords made completely of the sun's warmth and energy.

I leapt up above her head, ready to come down and snap my jaws closed around her in a powerful bite. Holding her energy-shielded hands above her head, Sentimon began to spin around rapidly, the two 'sabers' making a kind of cone-like thing over her that reminded me of a drill. As I came down to strike her, she slashed outwards with both of the blades, cutting both of my legs and also catching my muzzle and chest with her precise, quick thrusts. But she wasn't the only one to land a hit.

Knowing that I couldn't wrap my jaws around her without getting a sword shoved down my throat, I changed my position mid-air ever so slightly, just enough that I was able to swing out with one of my paws and swat her away after she'd made the gashes in me. Both of us fell to the ground with a loud crash and grunts of pain, each of us waiting for a moment or two before rising back onto our unsteady feet.

We were pretty evenly matched, Sentimon and I, even though I was in my Beast Spirit's form and neither of us were fighting to our true potential. I wasn't sure if I should be or not, since I knew for a fact that Sentimon was not. It would be that much easier to defeat her, but a certain part of me didn't really want to end her. There was something about her, about each of the Three that was different than anything I'd ever met before. They were strange things, and I could sense that they knew it, too.

I turned with a little bit of discomfort in my bones and muscles to watch as Sentimon rose as well. I was a little bit surprised—but still relieved—that she hadn't decided to use her Beast Spirit, and hoped that she wouldn't slide evolve into it out of the blue like I probably would've by now if I were her. That was the only thing that really bothered the crap out of me about this Sentinel, the fact that her Beast Spirit was one of my least favorite things, and a giant one at that. I could still feel the dull throbbing in my hip from the scar she'd given me.

I wished that I could fight her Human Spirit-to-Human Spirit, but there was no way that I could do such a thing now. It wasn't that I didn't like my Beast Spirit, for she was much stronger than any Human Spirit, but she was still hard to control, despite how long we'd been in one physical form together. No matter how close two entities become, there's always a bit of rivalry when it comes to a body, especially who gets to pilot it.

But Wereraiomon's tireless spirit was still under my command, for now. There was no telling how much longer I could keep my superiority over this being, since I did have to stay in this form for as long as I could. I had no way of spirit evolving back into her if I were to fall out of said form. I would have nothing to protect the Digital World, let alone myself, with if I were to lose to any of my opponents, whomever they may turn out to be. However, I could already assume that the other two of the Three would turn up along my path, since wherever one was, the others couldn't be too far behind.

I ran towards the now-standing Sentimon, ready to attack her yet again. The Sun Sentinel was also ready for another strike, readying her position to retaliate against anything that I dare throw at her. But both of us ceased our movement immediately when a sickly sweet, but deadly voice echoed throughout our minds, riding in on the gentle breeze and resting then on our ears. "I trust that you know exactly what you're doing, hm, Sentimon? You weren't thinking of severely harming little Toshi, were you? Make sure you follow Lord Cherubimon's rules, eh Pumpkin? Good." Raveamon not only had words for Sentimon, but also for me.

I felt a cold chill rush down my back at the sound of my Humanoid Spirit's voice again. I'd forgotten how it felt to have her speaking within my head. It made my skin prickle with disgust. "Don't get too comfortable, my Toshi-kun. I will see you soon, oh, so very soon. You'll know it when I'm near: Your spine will tingle, your ears will hear the pain of him who you love more than anything, and your eyes will burn with the red hot tears of your hatred for me. I'd love it if you'd just hate me, Toshiku. Or is that too much to ask you to do?" _I can't hate you. I love you too much to hate you. I want to save you… _My heart hurt so badly on the inside, and I wanted to say those words aloud, hoping that she could hear me if I did. Maybe they could knock some kind of sense into her.

But I didn't, and I felt Raveamon's presence leave as quickly as the breeze could whisk her away from me. Everything in this world was against me getting her back, everything did all that it could to keep her away from me. I never got any chances to try and help her, and any time that I did, I never had a way to actually help her. I was lost, and I didn't know how to go about finding my way.

Amidst all my thoughts, Sentimon turned away from me and started to walk away, her footsteps light and making no sound as she left me there alone. But I still heard her heart beating as she tried to leave without me noticing. "Why leave?" I called out to her, making her stop and half-glance back at me. "Why don't you just stay and fight me? I can sense that you want to stay, you know." Yes, the last part was a lie, but I had a bit of a fleeting feeling that she wouldn't think that it was fake.

Sentimon stared back at me with only one eye, though everything I needed to know was shown there. I hadn't really wondered why she was here, fighting me all by herself, but now that I really looked at her face, I knew why. Now that Raveamon was here, Cherubimon had split up the Three, sending each of them on their own mission to defeat me. Apparently, Sentimon didn't want to have all the glory for my capture; that was the only reason I could think of that she would be leaving me right now.

After her long moment of silence, she finally spoke, and as she did, something began to shade over her features, but it wasn't a normal thing, "Glory means nothing if you have no one to stand beside you in the shine," I'd never expected such a heartfelt thing to come from a being like Sentimon. It almost seemed like she cared about the other two, like they were family to her. But her sudden show of emotion wasn't enough to keep me from noticing the shadow passing over her face.

It wasn't exactly like a shadow, since it wasn't dark, but instead, it was like a fully-colored image showing through from within Sentimon's body. I watched in awe as the face and body of an adult human began to appear before my eyes. That same brown hair flowed down her back, but it was much shorter, some of the strands hanging messily in her face. Bright teal-green eyes were staring back at me, having covered the shade of Sentimon's real eyes. The woman I saw before me now was wearing a light colored summer dress one that seemed very, very familiar to me right now. But it didn't hit me right away where I'd seen it before.

After a few minutes, thought, I finally realized exactly who this lady was. And I could hardly believe that it had really been so long since I last saw her that I couldn't even remember what she looked like. My throat tightened and tears came to my green, wolf eyes. I wasn't sure how I could cry in this form, but right now, I knew that I would find a way.

That woman was my mother.

Despite my knotted throat, I tried to call out to her again, my voice now straining to hold back my tears. "Mom! Please, tell me that's you. I know that it it! Return to your human form, please, Mom!" But Sentimon did nothing but stare at me with a strange look in her eyes, as if she didn't understand what I was talking about. The image of my mother began to fade from her and she turned to walk away from me.

I wanted to stop her somehow, find a way to get my mother out from that evil being, but I didn't know how. Koji had figured out how to get Digimon Spirits out of people, but I didn't know if that would work the other way around. Or even what Koji had done to free me from Raveamon's grasp. But my heart wanted to do something, anything. However, my mind told me that I should continue on, and follow Sentimon in that way, by taking her lead and leaving this battle while both of us still had our honor.

The last thing I wanted to do was leave her, now that I knew what was really going on with her, but my brain was right. I had to keep going; there would be more Digimon to fight, and I couldn't waste all my time following Sentimon around. She might lead me into a trap if I wasn't careful. So, accepting my mind's orders, I turned away from Sentimon and started onwards in the direction I'd previously been trekking in.

But my thoughts were focused all on the proposition that I'd been offered by the Sentinel with the ever-glowing eyes of my mother.

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I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Okay, the song used was called Liars and Monsters by Escape the Fate, the awesome band that I'm suddenly addicted to. Anyways, please review and let me know what you thought about this chapter! Thanks a bunch for reading!


	27. Chapter 25: Promise

**Oh, wow. It has been so freaking long since I posted in this. I'm so. So. Sorry to all the people that really enjoyed this story. I will do my best to start posting in this again, as well as my 02 thing. A special reviewer, ajwf, gave me a review that really made me think about you guys, and convinced me to continue until the end :)**

**So, here ya go! Please read and review :)**

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Chapter 25: Promise

For once, I was walking away from Sentimon without that much bodily harm. I mean, sure, I couldn't feel certain parts of me and my ebony fur was matted with dried blood and dirt in some places, but this was probably one of my first fights against her that I'd been able to actually stand up three minutes after the fight. And given the situation that I was currently in, that was a pretty good thing. Or, at least as good as things could get right about now.

But there was an equally good excuse for me being able to trek along right now, though. And it wasn't because I was strong enough to defend myself now (I wish). It was all because my mother had never been one to fight, always being submissive in her nature. I suppose that that side of her was beginning to break through more and more now that Sentimon's soul was starting to lose all of its power. How that was actually happening, I wasn't sure. However, I was thirty percent sure that it was a good thing.

It still puzzled me greatly though, how my mother's spirit could possibly have gotten trapped within a Digimon, let alone how she could've ended up being so evil and violent. It was completely against who she was. But then again, maybe I didn't know her as well as I thought that I once had. She was gone a lot because of her job after all; maybe I just didn't spend enough time with her to learn her true soul. But it was impossible that I could've been _that_ oblivious to how she was.

Maybe it was something similar to what happened between Raveamon and me. She was close to dying, her human body fading and her soul in need of a new one, so she made room for herself in Sentimon, and ended up without any control over her new form. That would've made a perfect opportunity for Cherubimon to work his 'magic' on her weakened mind and that could completely explain how she ended up like this.

Except for the fact that she couldn't be a DigiDestined. It didn't make sense for that to have happened.

Adults thought differently about things than kids my age did. They wouldn't have really, truly believed that this place existed. They would've thought that someone had put some crack or something into their mid-morning coffee for giggles, or maybe put something into their oatmeal while they weren't looking. Kids, we knew that anything that we wanted could be possible. Unless you just gave up on it, I guess. So, that's one thing that can't really be explained.

And another thing: Why would she have bonded with a Digimon in the first place? If her body was too weak to sustain life, then like any other normal human, her soul should've just gone along willingly to whatever comes after this current world. It only happened to me because I still had something important to do. My mother, on the other hand, did not. At least, not to my knowledge.

For all I knew, there was some super-important reason why she was here, why she became my enemy for so long, why she was forced to fight me. There could easily be some kind of use for her to still be a part of my stupid little life that never seemed to know when to just leave the rest of the world and fade into the ever-present shadow of the past. Was she supposed to teach me something, like everything else here? Would she help me to change into who I needed to be to help the Digital World?

_What role does she still play in my destiny? In the fate of all things?_

Thinking about that kind of thing for so long gave me headaches; however, I couldn't say I was completely surprised. Learning that the parent whom you thought had been dead for the past few years but is suddenly alive but trapped in the body of a vicious, dangerous being who wishes greatly for you to be dead but can't quite seem to bring themselves to kill you would make your mind throb. A headache was currently the least of my issues, though.

Glancing around, I recalled the fact that I had no real idea where I was. I knew for sure that I was still in the Dark Continent since I could still sense the black all around me, watching me from the tree cover both above and around me, stalking me from the camouflage of the grass in the meadows. But other than that, there was no way for me to figure out where I was. It wasn't like there was going to be someone around here that I could ask, and going back to the group without having a new perspective of myself and what I was meant to do wasn't and would never become an option. That only left one thing: Keep walking straight ahead.

I couldn't remember that last time that I'd been lost like this, other than all the other times that the Legendary Warriors and I got lost. All those times didn't count because we were _always_ lost and never knew quite where we were going even if we had a destination. It was how we rolled, I guess. Or at least how Bokomon and Neemon taught us to roll here in the Digital World. Apparently everyone does _kuso_ like that in this messed up place.

Speaking of messed up, I couldn't help but notice how the branches of the trees seemed to be curving down towards me, reaching for me. They appeared ready to spring upon me, catch my form and tie me up so that I couldn't fight, so I couldn't get away from them ever again. I would die somewhere high up in the trees, where the leaves could feel my blood drip and run over them like rain, crying out in joy when they were sprinkled with it, tattooed with its permanent mark. The thought didn't affect me in any way; maybe death just didn't frighten me anymore. It didn't seem…bad.

Once, a long time ago, I hadn't wanted to die. Ever. But now…now that it seemed so real, so close to me and where I tread, it just didn't jump out screaming hateful, horrid things. It was there, I knew that, but it was placid, unmoving, and uninspired to drag me over to it. Death was more than willing to wait for me to come over when I felt ready. It was like it knew that I would be visiting soon, and that my stay would last much longer than enough time to merely catch up.

However, such a thought didn't bother me. I had nothing to lose except life, after all. I had no family (well, kinda-sorta), I'd pushed my friends away from me in an attempt to become stronger, and nothing else truly mattered to me anymore. What would the harm be if I didn't have to deal with all of this any longer? Maybe no one would notice if I suddenly wasn't there. Perhaps they'd never known I was there to begin with.

And hey, I'd probably be dying for a good cause: the Digital World. Knowing me and all of the stupid _kuso_ that I'd somehow gotten myself into, I would more likely than not end up getting myself killed trying to save either something that called the Digital World home or the very world itself. Either way, it was dying in a way that showed what I was supposed to be doing here, and what I had somewhat accomplished. In a way, it was every Sentinel's dream to die in such a way, so…I would've fulfilled a lifelong dream I hadn't even known that I'd had.

But such thinking only brought me back to what I'd been pondering earlier: Joining Sentimon, becoming like her and serving Cherubimon without question. Calling him _master_. The first time that it ran through my head, I felt like I might be sick. Just hearing my own mind saying _Master _Cherubimon made me feel as if I were betraying my very psyche. I wasn't quite sure if that was impossible or not, but at this point, I really didn't care. I could feel it trying to leave me, trying to desert me and leave me without any sanity to my name. I couldn't live that way, I just couldn't do that.

"It seems to me that you've already lived most of your life that way, you rotten little dog."

Stunned by the unexpected voice, I stopped dead in my tracks and returned my gaze to the skies, seeing the devil staring down at me from a high branch. Obstimon stood stout and strong on a tree limb, his back pressed up against the trunk to help keep his balance. Seeing how I wasn't planning on making a remark, he continued instead, "You've made insane and utterly foolish decisions all your life. What makes this new proposition any different from the others?"

_He knows? _I snarled at him, the fur on my neck ruffled and agitated. I refused to reply to his taunting, and replied instead by beginning to circle him, crouching low to the ground as if stalking him. My bright but tired and pained eyes never left him as I waited for the perfect moment to rush him, but with Obstimon, there never seemed to be such a time. It was all hoping and guessing when it came to fighting him. He had both brains and brawn, and that wasn't something that I got to fight every day.

The evil Sentinel clicked his tongue a few times as he shook his head. "Tsk, tsk, Toshiku. This hardly seems fair, now does it? You with your big bad Beastie, and me with both Human and Beast Spirits at my disposal. Who do you think has the upper hand here, child?" And with that, he slide evolved to Taurumon. I had to try hard not to take a couple of steps away from the huge bull-beast. He was right; I was at a disadvantage. I only had one Spirit and no way to take its form if any of his attacks were strong enough to break the hold I had on it.

Caution wasn't a good friend of mine, but we'd have to look past our differences for now.

Knowing that no better time was going to come to me, I dug my claws into the ground and ran at Taurumon, my mouth hanging open slightly as growls and snarls constantly fell from my tongue. I leapt into the air, my claws barred as I tackled him to the ground. I racked my nails against his furry chest, leaving deep gashes that oozed a lush red. The sight triggered something in me that I couldn't ignore: Bloodlust.

I didn't recall ever making Taurumon or Obstimon bleed before, and it was a sight that hypnotized me. It had been so long since I hadn't been the one cut open, and it felt good to be the one delivering the pain. I knew that I shouldn't be thinking such things, but he was evil. He didn't matter.

_You thought once that Sentimon was evil, and she ended up being your mother. Think about it, Toshiku. She doesn't like to fight like your mother. Obstimon loves wisdom and is both clever and cunning. Who does that remind you of? _My thoughts caught me off-guard. I'd wondered about who Obstimon was, but it had completely slipped my mind.

If Sentimon was my mother, then that meant that Obstimon could very well be holding the soul of my father.

I backed off from the injured Digimon, regretting having harmed him in such a way. Self-loathing coursed through my veins; if only I'd remembered what had happened with Sentimon. I could've started this whole thing off by trying to apologize for all that I'd ever done to shame him, to make him angry or sad. I could've tried anything and everything that came to mind to try to get him to see who he was and to get him to fight against Obstimon's evil soul.

I had to try it now.

"Do you know who Sentimon really is?" My question seemed to take him by surprise, filling his mind with confusion that showed through his eyes. He stood up with a slight grimace of pain from the cuts, but other than that he showed nothing that told me he was really hurt. I knew that that was a lie, of course. My voice was filled with desperation as I repeated myself, "Do you know?"

He stared at me, his beastly eyes asking me what the hell I was going on about with all of this _kuso_. I wasn't astonished by his puzzlement; I'd been expecting it in a way. Either way, I'd have to explain. "She's not a true Digimon, and if I'm right, then neither are you, or Vigomon for that matter. I just got done with a bit of a scuffle with her, and I saw something that I have no idea if you've ever witnessed before: She has a human entity existing within her—"

"You are a dirty, filthy liar, Yumari. You know that?" Taurumon's voice was laced with hatred and anger at the bit that I'd been able to get out. "I know her better than you do, and I can promise you that there's nothing strange about the way that any of us were made. Lord Cherubimon gave life to us on his own, he didn't need to take anyone out of the human world!"

I stared at him blankly for a moment, wondering if I'd really heard what he'd said correctly. Blinking a time or two, I took a step towards him, my tone getting a bit quieter, "I never said anything about the way that you were created, Taurumon…" He took a step back after I spoke this, and I could see on his face that he was afraid. Afraid of what, I wasn't sure.

But I intended to find out.

"…I think it's time for you to do your share of talking now, Taurumon," I started to pace around him again, watching him with eyes that were wary, but not fearful anymore. No matter who had what Spirits, I knew for certain that I had the advantage here. Taurumon was fearful of something that Cherubimon had mentioned; he was in denial about something. "Why did Cherubimon split the Great Three up and force you all to go solo?"

Taurumon turned to me with hate in his eyes, throwing his axe at me with a loud shout. Leaping forward quickly, I evaded his attempt at an attack and continued to walk in a circle, refusing to back down. I was so close to my answers, I couldn't run away. No matter what happened.

The great bull stared at me, knowing that he had nothing left to fight me with besides his great mass and his battle axe. Of course, his muscle would do wonders against me, but that was basically all that he had to work with. I could see his confidence fading slowly, the reason behind it uncertain in my mind.

He turned his face away from me, his eyes downcast and appearing as if his soul had been crushed repeatedly until he could do nothing but submit and obey to every fight that he was forced into. In his eyes, where there was usually lies and deceit, I could see nothing but pain and loneliness. I'd never thought once that he had a heart, that a soul existed within this Digimon…but here it was.

"It's all your fault. You and your _chikushou_ Human Spirit, Raveamon. I don't know why she suggested it to Cherubimon, but she did and he listened to whatever her reasoning was. There's no way that this has anything to do with his original plans; Raveamon doesn't think that he's got the guts to be in command.

"Cherubimon called Sentimon, Vigomon, and I to his chambers, but Sentimon and I were the only two to come to him. I wasn't sure then where Vigomon was, but no one ever really knew his whereabouts then. Something in him snapped and he just couldn't bear to stay within those walls any longer. He never came back since that first breakdown of his.

"Nevertheless, when we arrived before Master and did our best to explain Vigomon's absence, Cherubimon told us of Raveamon's 'addition' to his plan. He described it as being a necessary accessory, without which his ruling of the Digital World would certainly cease to be. I don't see how, but I didn't voice such an opinion then.

"He allowed Raveamon to go through it with the both of us, and I'm certain that you know her methods. I can't be certain what she did to Sentimon, but I do know that she was unresponsive and refused to look at me when Raveamon came back to speak with me. She took me off into a different chamber and carved a gash into my arm without so much as a warning. After that, the _subeta_ just grinned and said that if I were to even glance at either of my 'ex-comrades' then she would be sure to gut me like a swine.

"However, I made it quite clear that I hold no fear for her, so she changed her tactics a bit…" Taurumon paused for a moment, trying his best to keep me from seeing his face. I could sense his tension and pain in the air; it was unknown to me if he knew that fact or not. "Your _chikushou_ Spirit swore that if I took one step out of line or attempted to cross her, then she would decimate the only two of the Three who didn't stand a chance against her because of their mental states: Vigomon and Sentimon. I was a fool and gave her the exact reaction that she was looking for. If I hadn't, I'm not sure what would've become of the situation.

"So, here we are, and the only way that I can fix everything is by taking. You. OUT!" With a deafening battle cry, he swung the blunt side of his axe at me, the hit landing with a loud thud. It wouldn't have made contact if I'd been paying more attention to how close I'd gotten to him while he'd been talking, having drifted over due to my circular path.

Skittering and stumbling away from him due to the harsh blow, it took a moment or two for me to get my bearings together. When the world grew less blurry and everything was clearer, I stood as still as possible and stared at Taurumon. My mind was swimming because of his words; was he lying, or had he meant all of what he'd told me? _The look on his face when he was talking. It proves that he was telling me the truth. But why? Why not lie? _

_ Because your father was never one to lie, Toshiku._

My intense stare softened slightly at my eye-opening thoughts. I almost found it hard to believe that I was truly dense enough to have not figured all of this out before. Sentimon, although she was violent and hateful, had many qualities of my mother if one were to look closely. She was willing to do almost anything to get what she wanted out of the people around her, and desired love more than anything else in the world. I'd heard my father mention once that she was a natural flirt and she knew it.

Taurumon was like my father in multiple ways as well, but it was hard to discern because of the thickness of the evil that blinded him. My power-hungry nature was passed down to me by my father, one of his parents also having raised him to grow used to the constant need to be in control. Taurumon had that same yearning for strength; it was clearer to see through than freshly polished glass. Even his choice of weapon resembled my dad.

This new information could mean only one thing for Vigomon, then. It showed me that I'd been right in my theories, those that I'd immensely doubted at first. And now, as I stood there and contemplated deeply of all the signs that should've been plain to see, I saw each and every detail that pointed towards Vigomon's once hidden human identity. His supposed breakdowns even hinted towards the unthinkable.

Seeing my hesitation, Taurumon took this as the perfect opportunity to attempt another offensive strife. Rushing forward with his horn-adorned head angled towards me, he caught me with the sharp tips, though they never pierced me lethally (thankfully). One point went through my foreleg and the other reaching across to press against the side opposite him, trapping me successfully.

I held back the short whine of pain that wished to come erupting from my throat at the wound now on my leg. The torn flesh and muscles burned intensely and blood had begun to pour profusely from my multiple scrapes, gashes, and infection-prone cuts. However, I refused to show Taurumon how much pain I felt. Showing hurt was a sin in my mind.

Feeling triumphant in his strike, the beast proceeded then to buck his head around a bit to cause more damage before finally tossing me from his head like a horse would do so unto his rider. I crashed into the thick, hard trunk of a tree, slamming against it hard enough to snap the whole thing and send it tumbling down onto the forest's dark soil. I struggled to my feet quickly despite the pain in my foreleg, but I ignored the pain and used the limb anyway. As long as the bone wasn't broken, it was still of use to me in this fight.

The Greek beast watched me curiously as I strode valiantly around him, showing no signs of pain upon my snarling face or through my lithe movements. It was as if I was flaunting the fact that I'd grown over the time that I'd been in this world, and there was no way that he was going to be able to take me down this time. Not without one hell of a fight.

"Mondlicht Menschenwolf!" In a blinding surge of multi-colored light sent into the atmosphere from the verres that still hung practically lifeless around my neck, I leapt forward and sank my jaws into an unprepared Taurumon. He howled in pain, the deepness of his voice and the intensity of the pain driving me to act further.

Standing upon my hind paws, I tightened my grip on his shoulder, my canines digging into his flesh, tearing it as much as possible. I the proceeded to slash my sharpened claws across as much of him as I could reach, raking the hair-covered skin over and over again until he finally found the strength to shove me away with much more force that what I'd originally been expecting.

Taurumon was full of strength despite the physical and emotion turmoil that he'd been through these last couple of days, and it surprised the hell out of me. This wasn't going to be easy, not that I ever thought that it _was_ going to be simple to defeat him. To be honest, I couldn't really even defeat him; he was my _father_. If I destroyed him, I'd be killing my dad's soul right along with Taurumon/Obstimon.

What the hell was I supposed to do?

As I thought, I once again began to circle Taurumon like a predator to its prey. However, he'd begun to notice a pattern in my actions and decided then to act upon it. "Are you afraid to strike me with your full power, foolish child?" The malice and smug nature that I knew so well to be him was there in his voice like old times, back when I was still unaware of the truth. But it did nothing to harm me this time; no anger rose up within me at the insult.

Even though I had a million comebacks that I could've used, I chose to remain silent and gaze back at him without a word instead. A bit of the arrogance faded at the unexpected response, or lack of one, and he stared right back at me with both astonishment and confusion barely hidden within the workings of his mind. He was lost within his own psyche, and it was very, very clear to see. My father's soul was fighting as hard as it could, but one being could only fight for so long.

He was getting tired. He was starting to give up hope.

But in a way, I could understand that. I was alone now, even though I'd chosen this path; I no longer had my friends right next to me and I wasn't sure if my family could ever be put back together. I knew that I'd found them now, that they weren't dead, but…how could I hope to fix everything again? I didn't even know how this had come to be. How had they suddenly been transformed into Digimon?

There was no reasonable explanation for any of this, at least, none that I could think of. Cherubimon or Lucemon could've done this, of course, but why? Why the hell would that benefit them? Would they use them like hostages against me and the Legendary Warriors? Were they supposed to be the key factors that would force me to switch sides and become evil? Did they believe that they could control me if they had those I loved the most?

"…Why are you looking at me like that, you wretched creature?" My thoughts were interrupted by Taurumon, now Obstimon since he'd just de-spirit evolved for whatever reason. The fact that he'd gone back to the weaker of his two Spirits confused me for a moment, but then I looked closer and began to see the reason why. Obstimon's face was starting to change a bit. It had taken a different shape, a different skin texture, a different pigment.

He was beginning to look more like my father.

I started to take a step forward, wishing to say something, anything, but my voice got caught in my throat. Even though I was in my Beast form like always, I'd never felt weaker than I did right now. _He's coming back. I'm getting my father back! _My mind and heart raced with all kinds of emotions, so many that I could barely sort out what was what. All I knew was that that living being standing in hostility before me was Kenshin Yumari, my beloved father.

Obstimon's head appeared to be spinning as Father's soul began to resurface within him, his human form breaking through from the Digimon one. I continued to move forward, albeit slowly. He was still dangerous; he was confused, in pain, and could switch back to the more Digimon-like persona at any time. It had happened many times with Sentimon and Vigomon. "…Dad—"

"Stay away from me!" His sudden scream was the absolute loudest thing that I'd heard before in my life, his words making my heart sore within me. He sounded so afraid, so puzzled, so overwhelmed, and there was nothing that I could do to help him. I yearned to return to my humanoid form and go to him, but that would be a huge mistake seeing as I had no way of returning to my Beast Spirit body. I wouldn't be able to protect Obstimon/Dad, let alone the fact that I myself would be vulnerable as well.

Obeying Obstimon's command, I stopped where I was, restraining myself from taking any more steps towards him. If I wanted him to return to the correct body completely, I'd have to let my dad to what was necessary; there was nothing that I could do to help except stay back and let the two souls duke it out. The only thing I _could_ do was crouch there and pray that the winner of that battle would be the man that didn't want to make the world bleed until it went numb.

As I was still waiting and watching, I saw that Obstimon had stopped breathing. He was alive, of course, but he wasn't moving a muscle. Becoming a tad alarmed by the scene, I dared to inch a bit closer, my sharp black claws making little clicking sounds as they crept over the little pebbles that lay scattered all over the face of the Digital World. I hoped that this meant that the battle was over, that a victor had been decided between the two of them and whoever it was was just getting used to owning his own body again.

But I couldn't have been further from the truth.

With the quickness of a leopard, Obstimon drew a poisoned arrow, placed it in his bow, and shot me in the face. A yelp was wrenched from my throat, slick with a touch of pain, but mostly surprise at the unexpected strike. Scampering back a little ways from him, I stared at him with astonishment; had Obstimon won the battle against my father? Had it really been that easy to defeat his soul?

_No. It's not over. They're still fighting; I can sense it._ Trying to convince myself that what my thoughts kept repeating over and over again was true, I reach up to my cheek with one big, heavy paw and snapped some of the arrow off so that it wouldn't bother me quite as much. The metallic tip was still embedded deeply in my skin, and I could feel the poison trying to spread through my bloodstream, but I wasn't worried about it. I'd been shot by him many times; I was practically immune to the sedative that he used.

I ignored the slight stinging in my face as I straightened up a bit more, my eyes still trained on Obstimon; he was standing completely still again, his mind lost in its own little world for the time being. It was becoming more and more difficult to focus on the fact that he was a danger to me since his face had become that of my father's. Sentimon's hadn't done that; only that ghost of my mother's spirit had shrouded Sentimon's form. Vigomon…I'd never seen my brother's physical appearance anywhere in or around him before. It was as if Cherubimon had gone to great lengths to keep him hidden from me.

But now, as I stood here and strived with all my brainpower to make the connections between all of them, I could see it. I was actually a bit ashamed of myself for not having realized it sooner than this. Vigomon had been the one that Cherubimon had been controlling the most; he was the one most susceptible to my presence in this world because of our relationship, because of what I'd done to him.

I knew in my heart that even though all of those hateful things I'd done and said had all been because of Raveamon's evil presence within me, I could never blame her for what had happened. I hadn't fought against her motives or her actions. I hadn't done anything to stop her, let alone stop myself from hurting Daijiro. I'd hurt him. And that's why I was here, why I was a Sentinel.

It was my turn to be hurt.

All the cuts, all the bruises, all the blood and tears that I'd shed…it was all punishment for harming one of the only people in my life that had stayed by my side, that had loved me for who he knew I was even when I was breaking him physically and emotionally. Every time that I'd been beaten till I was numb, it was to make me realize what I'd done to Daijiro. Every single time that I'd been alone and afraid, feeling weak and lost…everything was going wrong because of me. Because everything I'd done in my life had been the wrong thing to do.

I understood this now, and in a way, I was all right with it. I could never forgive myself for causing Daijiro pain, for making that poor little child cry. He was my little brother, my sweet, innocent, perfect, forgiving, loving, brother. And I was the hateful, violent, blemished, vengeful, loathsome monster that had harmed him. I was no better than those who killed, than the man that beat his wife, the mother that tortured her children. The one who betrayed the best friend he could ever hope to have, trading his life for silver.

All of these people deserved prison, eternal confinement in hell, death. And I was no better. If anything, I was the worst of them. I deserved death, hell, pain, loneliness, anything and everything that the sickest, most twisted minds could ever think of as a punishment. All of it had my name on it, and there was no one in the universe that could convince me otherwise.

Slowly, my eyes found their way back to Obstimon—but he wasn't alone anymore. A gasp caught in my throat; Raveamon, my tainted Spirit, was with us now. Her blood red eyes, her icy skin, her midnight-black hair, raven-like talons, beastly teeth…it was all right there, standing but a few meters away from me. I could feel my heart stop beating, the feeling of life replaced by death, depression, and the greatest sense of lonesomeness that I'd felt before in my life.

Here was the thing that I'd called my best friend for years. Here was the thing that had caused me to hurt my brother, my family, my friends…everyone. She'd broken me down until there was nothing left to be shredded, like scientists picking apart elements. Eventually, there came a time when the substance just couldn't be broken down into anything else. I'd bled for her, I'd lied to myself about her, I'd been willing to die for her. But that wasn't the part that hurt me. What did…

I still loved her. I was still willing to die to save her soul. She was my Human Spirit, my other half, my darkness…how could I not?

The demonic soul was perched up on Obstimon's back like Black Death, like a tumor, a parasite; she had her arms wrapped around his neck in a vice of death, whispering something in his ear. Throughout all of this, her eyes were fixed upon me, an evil shine flashing within the beautiful sunset-red. It was at moments like that, when I saw that there was still some beauty in her, when I wished that I could have a friendship with her like what the Legendary Warriors had with their Spirits. They never fought, never made each other hurt or bleed…And me? That was l'd ever known.

Nevertheless, there she was. I stood there, paralytic, unsure what to do or what to think. I didn't even want to breathe lest that set her off; but I also didn't want her to leave. I wasn't sure what I wanted her to do: Stay and be with me (which would mean fight and probably kill me) or leave me and never come back. If she stayed, I would end up dead no matter what; I knew deep down in my heart that she would never listen to me, she would never come back to the light no matter what I did or said. But if she left…

"You look…disheveled, Toshiku. Is something the matter?" Raveamon's sickly sweet voice burned the air as it sliced through to my eardrums, wrenching me from my thoughts with the strength of a bull. When I looked, she'd dropped from Obstimon's back and was meandering towards me, swaying as if she were drunk or high off of drugs. But the Digital World didn't have anything like that…did it? Could Cherubimon get his hands on that kind of thing here? If so…then why?

I took a couple cautious steps back, dropping down to a low crouch as I watched her; she chuckled darkly at my precautions. "What? You don't trust me? And I thought we were friends…" Her chortle turned into a loud, threatening laugh, not the kind that the villains in the movies faked. This was the real thing, and it was the worst sound that I'd heard in a very, very long time. It made my ears ring, my head hurt, and my heart ache.

Still, I did not reply to her. I just couldn't do it.

Upon seeing that I wasn't going to be any fun, Raveamon's demeanor turned much more menacing and a lot less happy. The beauty in her eyes faded, and the darkness that was hidden there became evident, clouding her eyes with anger, bloodlust, and evil. Her psychotic smile was replaced by that of a demon who knew that he had the upper hand, the demon that knew he was much more powerful than the souls that he was currently pitting himself against.

The souls he planned to drag to hell.

With a voice that was blacker and slicker than gasoline, she lips and tongue began to form taunting words, "Come on, kid, we both know that you're scared, so why don't you run? You and I both know you're itching to have a bit of fun. So, I'll let you have a ten-second head start, and we'll deal with our differences like everybody does: Bleeding out the pain until one of us runs out of blood. Doesn't that sound like fun, Toshiku?" Another little chuckle emitted from deep down in her throat, a sound that was similar to the growl of a caged animal.

I remained crouched there on the ground as my vocal cords finally gave up and allowed me to form a small, quiet statement, "…I…I don't want to fight you anymore. I can't. I don't hate you!" My heart bounded up, lodging itself in my throat; I could feel it beating there, the reverberations beginning to make my head hurt as it fogged with fear and anxiety. I knew that even if I didn't want to, that wretched day would come. The day that I would fight Raveamon until one of us could no longer look up to the sky and pray for mercy.

The black bird Digimon threw her head back and laughed at my reply, her hair flipping over her shoulder to rest against her back with the grace and serenity of smoke. "Oh please, you're not fooling anyone, Toshiku. You can lie to me as much as you want to, but remember, I was in your mind for years. I know every twist, turn, bump, crack, and dent in your psyche. There's no fooling me—"

"I'm not lying—"

She snickered again, interrupting me yet again. "That's new, isn't it, you little liar?" Anger poured slowly into my brain at her words. I didn't want to fly into a rage; that was what she wanted me to do. I didn't want to fight her; she could beat me and she knew it. But it was so hard not to tear into her right then and there. Besides, there was the slimmest of chances that I could end up being the victor, so...maybe a fight would solve the issues between the two of us.

Seeing that my thoughts about fighting her were starting to change and head in the direction that she'd been hoping for, Raveamon grinned deceptively as the Moon Beam sword materialized in her fist. I hated myself for doing this; she _wanted_ to fight. She wanted to kill me, she wasn't fighting for a good purpose—hell, she had no purpose for fighting at all.

But here I was, preparing my mind and body for what was to come.

I watched, paralyzed, as Raveamon raised her glowing, pulsing sword above her head, ready to slash it down and begin our battle-to-the-death. Just before she was about to swing it down, a whooshing sound whistled through the air, followed by a thump and a groan of pain and surprise falling from Raveamon's mouth. Both of our astonished faces look at her torso, where we saw the tip of an arrow sticking out of her.

At first, I was confused about where that had come from, but then I recalled that we were not to only two here; Obstimon was still there, standing poised with his bow held up, the string still twitching from the movement. Completely and utterly stunned, I stared at Obstimon, puzzled beyond belief that he'd just tried to…_help_ me. At least, I was going to assume that that's what he was doing. Not sure why else he would've just shot Raveamon in the back.

My cold hearted Spirit was just as astonished as I had been, but her surprise turned to anger rather quickly. Dropping the sword and allowing it to fade away into dust, she moved her hand down and broke the tip off of the arrow. After tossing it away, she reached behind her and pulled the bloody shaft from her back. The blood-covered hand brought it around and she stared at it with rage bubbling up in her eyes before breaking it in half and growling heatedly, "A simple arrow is nowhere near enough to take me out, you fool!" Turning around, she chucked the broken arrow back at Obstimon, the sharp edges of the wood making little cuts on his face.

Storming over to him, she surrounded her fist with the mini-version of her Stellar Shadow attack and smashed it into his chest as hard as an eighteen-wheeled truck might hit a little child. Obstimon didn't even attempt to move, which stunned me; what was he thinking? The hit knocked him back a long ways, a thick tree trunk finally stopping him. But Raveamon wasn't finished.

As she was starting towards him again, power and authority charging every confident step that she took, I realized that Obstimon wasn't going to fight back. He wasn't getting up; he wasn't even trying to pick his head up anymore. It was my duty to protect him now, even if he wasn't a Legendary Warrior, or one of the good guys for that matter. He was weak now, and that meant that it was my job, assigned to me by destiny, to protect him from those who abused their power. People like Raveamon.

Rushing forward, I caught Raveamon off-guard, something that could only happen once in a blue moon. She had just starting to turn to see what was coming at her when I swatted her away with my heavy paw. I heard her grunt as she flew through the air, crashing through bushes and trees before coming to a stop in a thorn bush.

Though I had the urge to go after her, I knew that she would come back and come back very, very angry. Right now, I had to get to Obstimon's side, keep an eye on him and make sure that Raveamon didn't get anywhere near him. I had to protect him. My father's living and breathing soul was harbored within him, as well, so…I had to keep him safe in this dangerous world.

Rushing over to the other Digimon's side, I crouched low beside him and waited, listening for anything that would tell me that Raveamon was coming. In the end, I learned that it really didn't take that much focus to hear when she was on her way. Raveamon let out a loud growl before shouting out in anger, the whole forest around me flashing with a bright white light as her voice sliced through the air to my wolfish ears, "You stupid kid! You're never going to be strong enough to defeat me no matter what you do! You're going to die, and I'm going to be the one to kill you! You hear me?"

Her words hurt me; that was what made her different from every other enemy that I'd faced before. Most opponents made their insults as personal as they could to make them effective, but Raveamon…she really had been my friend at one point. Her ice-cold demeanor gave my heart frostbite like no ordinary chill could. The darkness of her soul could suffocate me in ways that hands could not. No light could break through the blackness that had once been my best friend.

_You're not thinking about the big picture, either, Toshiku. If you don't defeat her, no one else will ever be able to. And if she's free to run around the Digital World doing whatever the hell she wants, it'll be completely decimated within a matter of days. Maybe even hours. If you're going to live up to your calling as a Sentinel, you're going to have to kill her. She's not your friend anymore anyways. Why should it matter?_

Deep inside, in the darkest recesses of my heart, soul, and mind, I knew that these thoughts were speaking the truth. There was no other way. Raveamon would have to die eventually, be it by my hand or not. As long as she was gone, I supposed that it didn't entirely matter who did the dirty work. It was just the problem of who would destroy her. And if they even could.

I shook that thought from my head, knowing that I couldn't be focusing on the future if she was coming at me right now. Raveamon was the deadliest thing that Cherubimon had ever made, and her heart was set on killing me. In order to keep the Digital World safe and sound, I would have to fight her. I would have to. It was no longer a choice. Now, it was necessary for not only my survival, but the rest of the creatures upon this once beautiful world.

Watching from Obstimon's side, I crouched and waited motionlessly as Raveamon ran towards the two of us, using the path of destruction that Obstimon had left as a trail to follow. When she stopped at the mouth of the path, a few yards away at the most, I could see just how much rage was built up within her. Her eyes were aflame with the emotion, her mouth poised in the most threatening snarl that I'd ever seen before.

Was she this angry because now she knew that I was willing to fight back?

Ignoring the many questions that flew into my head, I remained silent and watched as she slowly raised her arm, pointing a menacing finger at Obstimon. "He is going to die. And there is nothing you can do to even hope to stop me! You got that, kid? Absolutely. Nothing!" Her shouts were laced with malice and hate, two things that didn't match the once peaceful and perfect Spirit that I'd believed her to be when I was younger. I'd imagined her to be so much different than this; it hurt my soul to hear her like this.

But there was nothing that I could do now. If I wanted to do something to save her (if I could do such a thing, of course), I would have to survive, and that meant abiding by her terms. Even if that meant that I would be dancing with the devil herself.

I refused to reply to her, and she seemed a bit peeved at my new habit of not speaking. Replacing the white sword in her fist, Raveamon was ready to start the battle for Obstimon's life, but stopped abruptly. Her anger seemed to fade as a wind picked up around us, the feeling of it strange as it ruffled over my fur. It wasn't normal; it was as if a ghost had just glided over my back.

All around us grew quiet as a deep, gravelly voice filled the air, echoing in my head loud enough to make my ears ring, _"Your hatred, your malice, your absolute disregard for life… Everything about you makes me proud, Raveamon. And now, it's time for the fatality of the flaw to be brought about. It is nearby; you should be able to locate it with ease. Now, go. Destroy it, and let its blood drip down to satisfy the hungry earth beneath you."_

There was nothing about Cherubimon's voice that I could get used to, nothing. No matter how many times I'd heard it within my own mind, it just wasn't something that you would eventually grow to think of as normal. It was drenched with power and evil and darkness and murder and death. You couldn't breathe when it echoed into your brain, you didn't even want to move your eyes lest he be enraged by your disrespect and strike you down dead on the spot.

Silence filled the spaces between us for a moment or two, all of us pondering Cherubimon's sudden and unexpected message. Raveamon was the first to finally speak up after it, twirling her glowing blade in her hand as she spoke, "Well, it looks like we don't have enough time to play, kid. Pity. So, since we both already know who would've won, I may as well claim my prize—" Without skipping a beat, she hurled her sword at Obstimon and I. It moved so fast that I didn't even have time to react at all before it found its place, burying itself in Obstimon's armored chest with a loud thud and the deafening crack of armor splitting.

Obstimon's head shot up in shock and pain, his mouth opening in a cry of pain, though no sound came out except for a small croak of a whine. The sound was enough to make me snap; I'd failed to protect him. I'd failed. I just couldn't stop thinking those two words; the repeated over and over again in my head. I failed, and now he was going to die. I couldn't save my father from my twisted Human Spirit, and now he was going to die.

My father was going to die because I was a failure.

Seeing my slow descent into insanity was about to start, Raveamon took this opportunity to make her leave, casting me a final grin of 'farewell, stupid kid' before disappearing into the trees. I stared after her with pain and anger swirling and twirling with each other within me; I couldn't believe that she could hate me so much to try to kill my father. To _kill_ my father.

Creeping towards his nearly motionless body, I nudged Obstimon with my nose slightly, hoping that he might look up at me or do something to show that he might end up being all right after all. His dark, tired eyes met mine steadily, his head shaking as he strived to lift it up and lean it up against the tree behind him. When he finally got it there, he let out a quivering sigh, coughing up a bit of blood as well. He turned his head slightly, angling it to face me; a small smile crossed his lips. "…Thanks for trying, fool. But even you're not strong enough to best that _subeta_."

I assumed that this was an evil person's version of a complement (…kinda) and tried to smile back at him, but it probably looked more like a snarl due to my Beast Spirit's incapability to smile in a more humanoid-ish way. The fact that he was dying really didn't help either. "I'm sorry, Dad. If I was stronger I could've saved—"

Obstimon gave me a weird look after I called him 'dad', and I assumed that my father's soul had quite surfaced enough for him to be able to respond to me yet. "I don't know why you're calling me that, but it doesn't matter now. Nothing matters except Vigomon right now. You have to go and help him. He's the flaw that Cherubimon was talking about, he's always been the blemish to that _rokudenashi_. Raveamon is going to kill him, and I don't care if you don't think you're strong enough, because right now, you're the only one who's capable of helping him. Sentimon has already been dealt with, I can sense it…and I don't have a lot of time left.

"If you really believe that we've got some kind of connection—and I'll be perfectly honest by saying that I've sensed it as well—then do this one favor for me before I go: Save Vigomon, whatever the cost may be. Will you do that, Toshiku?" The eyes of my father stared up at me, his very persona beginning to return with the way that he was speaking, the tone of his voice and his vocabulary becoming much more like Kenshin Yumari's had been.

Without really even thinking about what I was getting myself into, I nodded my head rapidly, agreeing to do this inconceivable thing without skipping beat. It would probably come back to bite me as time passed, but for now, it was just another 'yes, it shall be done if it kills me' moment for me. I'd had a lot of those types of conversations with people during my short time as a Sentinel. It was all part of the job. Death abided like a shadow, his hand extended for the moment that you made a bad move and it cost you your very life.

And as I twisted from Obstimon's side and dashed off into the night in search of Vigomon, I knew that I may be facing my own death by Raveamon's hand very soon. Maybe within the next few hours. But it didn't matter now; my father had asked me to go and protect Vigomon—my brother—and I intended to. No matter what the cost.


	28. Chapter 26: Slept So Long

**I'm so happy that I finally got another chapter done. I've had next to no time to type at all, and I can really tell that I've been holding it back lately because I got this thing done really quickly once I finally got the opportunity to work on it. Once again, sorry for the huge length of time between updates, I'm hoping that that won't happen as often when school is out and summer finally starts :D **

**Nevertheless, please enjoy reading this!**

* * *

Chapter 26: Slept So Long

My muscles burned as I raced through the dense foliage, leaping over felled trees and fighting my way through thorn bushes, ignoring any pain that came to me because of them. None of that mattered. None of it had ever really mattered. The only thing that meant anything to me right now was saving Vigomon. Saving my brother.

Just mentioning Daijiro drove me to sprint even faster, force my Beast's body to strive ever harder to reach him. I had to get there fast. I had to find him before Raveamon did. She probably was being guided to him by Cherubimon's all-seeing eye while I only had Obstimon's 'directions' to go by. And a single point in the general idea of where I should search couldn't be considered directions at all, really.

But my unparalleled senses as Wereraiomon would have to do, and had already led me to discover Vigomon's trail. His scent wasn't the same as I'd remembered it; it seemed more…_human_. The very thought frightened me to the point of collapse. How could I possibly have been so deluded, so single-minded to have not seen this? How could I have missed it before?

_You can beat yourself up about this later. There's no time to spare right now. _Knowing my harsh inner voice was right, I threw my self-loathing thoughts away and surged onwards, focusing only on Vigomon's scent and how I would find the Digimon/human at the end of it. However, I knew that I wasn't the only one searching for said being. My once best friend had him on her mind as well, but for a very different reason.

No matter how hard I tried, Raveamon's memory wouldn't stay out of my mind. Her presence within me hadn't faded entirely when we'd been separated spiritually, and even now, being physically apart, she still held fast to my mind. But she always had. And she always would, as long as I was alive, that is. If I were to die, she might leave me alone. I might stop suffering at her hand.

On the other hand, knowing how she was, she would probably follow me all the way to hell.

At one point, she'd been my only friend. I'd thought my family was turning against me, the whole world on a mission to destroy me and make me the bad guy. Now, I knew that I had been the bad one all along. Raveamon's words of comfort and consolation had been faked; she'd been attempting to manipulate me the entire time. Had she ever truly cared for me? I wasn't sure, but I hoped to heaven that she had.

It was doubtful, I knew it, but it was possible. Maybe her heart hadn't always been this black, this filled with hate and malice and ice. The very possibility made my soul soar with hope; however, it was immediately brought back down to sorrow when reminded of what was going on currently in the thing most people like to call 'reality'.

The moment when I'd have to kill my friend was arriving. I could feel it in the air, sense it in the way the breeze ruffled my fur as if it was trying to tell me that everything was going to be okay in the end. 'And they lived happily ever after' would be the end to my story, the ground I treaded over tried to convince me. I knew better. I could never live 'happily ever after'. I just hadn't been made to be able to do that.

Apparently, Raveamon hadn't been made that way either.

My maddeningly depressing thoughts were interrupted when I noticed a small clearing up ahead. It was not your average empty space in the forest, though. There were little flickering lights dimly shining out, the sight making me both intoxicated and anxious to get away. They were such pretty little things…so delicate, like tiny violet flowers by a raging, foaming river.

Slowing to a low, crouching-crawl, I continued to approach the strange lights. My body ached at the position I had to take in order to remain mostly hidden, but I ignored the pain in favor of not being discovered. Right now, it was probably best that I avoid any fighting that wasn't completely necessary. I had to save my strength for anything Vigomon might try, and, eventually, for Raveamon herself.

I came to a clump of thorny bushes right on the outside ring of the clearing, and decided that this was going to be the best—if not, then the only—spot that I would be able to see but not be seen. Peering through the pointy thorns and sharp leaves, I stared hard into the treeless space, expecting the unexpected as I'd been trained to. But even the stoniest warrior would've been astonished at such a strange sight.

The dim, flickering lights were from seven candles arranged together in a medium-sized circle. But the oddest thing was that the candles were floating maybe two to three inches off the ground. Having been in the Digital World for as long as I had been and having seen all kinds of oddities, you'd think that nothing would surprise me anymore. But this…it was incredible.

Vigomon was sitting in the center of the circle of light, his eyes closed as if he were asleep. He did appear to be completely and utterly exhausted, his shoulders slouched and his head hanging limply. It was such a sad sight to me. I'd seen this evil Sentinel when he had been in his 'prime', when he was still lively in his malevolent ways and had never doubted anything that Cherubimon had said.

But something had eaten away at him over time. And that something now had Raveamon's undying attention.

Mustering up all my courage, I stepped over the foliage acting as my hideout and started towards Vigomon's circle of sanctity. Judging by the fact that he hadn't moved nor shown any sign that he knew I was there, I assumed that he was not yet aware of me. Or just didn't care enough to put up any kind of fight. Obstimon had said that he'd begun to lose his will to fight. Let alone his mind.

I was wrong. The darkly armored Digimon leapt to his feet, twirling around to face me with a kind of rage that I'd never seen before in anyone, human or non. "_This_ is a sacred place, and you will _not_ defile it!" He let out an almost animalistic growl as he swung his sword at me, the reverberations of the metal slicing through the air so strong that they traveled through the air at a supersonic speed. The seemingly simple attack tore up vegetation and decimated rocks; it was incredible.

And headed straight for me. It came so fast that I had no time to react at all, the blast striking me hard and fast like a runaway train headed for a black, lightless, sordid tunnel. The air-blade cut through me like a scissors to paper, ripping at my DNA/data and drawing a hoarse cry from my lungs. Despite the pain, I realized that I was wondering how strong Vigomon truly was to be able to do this kind of damage without even laying a single finger on me.

_It's like he's as powerful as Raveamon is._

Before I knew what was happening to me, I was blinded by different shades of bright blue light all around me. When it faded away, exhaustion dragged me to the ground, falling upon it face-first. I wanted nothing more than to close my eyes and sleep, curl up in on myself to keep warm since it was always so cold in the Dark Continent without Wereraiomon's body heat—

My mind shocked itself awake in an instant. Propelling myself upwards with my arms, I stood on my knees, eyes drawn immediately to stare with horror at my hands. Hands, not paws, not fur, not claws. _Human hands_. The Beast of the Moon's body had taken a lot of damage, I knew, but it had been easy enough to keep in its form. But that one offensive move on Vigomon's part had been enough to push the bestial flesh over the edge, and now…

I had no Spirit. No way to fight. No way to defend Vigomon, my Sentinel-brother.

Raveamon was on her way, and closing in fast; I could smell death and malice in the air as she approached, hear her laughter in the wind as it played absentmindedly in the trees, completely unaware of the danger coming ever closer. And Vigomon was in the same boat when it came to that, being utterly oblivious to the fact that his life was at stake, possibly being ended at any moment. What made it even worse was his lack of a want to fight, his uncaring nature when it came to living. He just didn't care anymore.

Panic tried tirelessly to wrap its cold, clammy hands around my heart, drive my mind into the frenzy that it so often fell captive to. But I refused to give it a foothold in my soul—not even a toehold was permissible. I'd sworn to Obstimon, Sentinel of Justice, of all that was right, that I would risk life, limb, and soul to keep his friend—his son—safe from the _subeta_ known as one of my only childhood friends. But now…the battle about to take place felt…different from all the others.

_It should, Toshiku. You know why? It's because you know that this is going to be your last fight._ I knew my mental voice could be a _kuso-atama_, but that was going a bit far, even for it. However, the tiny voice continued, and I did nothing to stop it. _Have you noticed how all the other Sentinels died horrifically, often at the hand of someone they knew and loved? Think about it for a minute, and tell me something: Why _shouldn't _this be your last stand? _

_Everything matches—defending your morally unstable little brother, trying to sort out your own _chikushou _morals, readying yourself to fight someone who hurt your only friends and threatens the only world that you can actually fit into. Tell me, with all honesty, how this is any different from how all of the other Sentinels died._ My thoughts were unexpectedly cold and heartless, but they struck a chord buried deep within me, a string that almost nothing could reach. Nothing but fate's promises could stretch so far as to touch my soul in that way.

What if my ponderings were correct and the fight that was drawing ever nearer to the light of reality would be my final stand against the darkness that had plagued me so? Would I not be able to best my own Human Spirit—granted I even stood a chance without anything to evolve to, which was so far-fetched not even Lassie would be able to retrieve it. Or would I somehow defeat her, only to be consumed by darkness and sorrow and end up defeating myself?

"You can come over now. You are not disrespecting your Ancients anymore," Vigomon's baritone voice sounded in an almost gentle manner, bringing me back to the present and away from the horrid thoughts nesting and brooding within me. It didn't get rid of them, only pulled me away for the time being. His dark eyes refused to look at me, the soul-windows fixated on the levitating candles around him. "It's okay. They forgive you."

I stared silently at him, watching curiously to see if he was lying and planned to come and attack me again as soon as I started moving forward. But he showed no sign of violence; he had sat back down in the center of the circle of faint light, his back facing me. It was clear to me that he didn't feel threatened by me, especially when I didn't have anything to fight him with besides a small rock or maybe a stick. I wouldn't have been very afraid of me either with those circumstances.

Hoping that the once vicious demon would keep true to his word about everything being all right between us for the moment, I hesitantly neared the circle of floating candles. A groan of discomfort and hurt escaped my throat as I sat down, every muscle, every bone, every fiber in my body either bruised, cut, or sore from my constant roaming and fighting. The last time I could recall resting was at the river that I was now so far away from, the river where Sentimon had come to me.

From where I sat, I was about a yard away from one of the candles, and I watched it with heightening curiosity. It flickered brightly, wildly, lively, even though the wind blew and leaves sometimes fell upon the flame. It stood strong despite everything, never bending to the will of the elements around it, nor those who tried to huff and puff it out. The flame continued to breathe, continued to eat away at the wick.

But then, as I was staring at it, it went out as if someone had flipped a switch.

A gasp caught in my throat at the surprise; what had blown it out? No wind had rushed through with enough power to cut off its light that quickly, and nothing had come anywhere near it! And I hadn't even moved for the past couple of minutes I'd been so fixated on it. I was about to voice my excitement/frustration to Vigomon, but stopped when I glanced up and saw that he'd turned around and was now facing me, watching me with dark, soulless eyes. _Sad_ eyes.

I was about to switch my question from being about the candle to how he'd switched positions without my noticing, but the dark Sentinel of Life cut me off and chastely spoke, as if he'd read my mind from beginning to end, "You're blind; you've always been—" _Thanks, Vigomon. Thanks a bunch. That's exactly what I want to hear at a time like this. Especially since I've heard that a time or two before._ "—nevertheless, these are…I suppose you could call them 'devices' that another Sentinel of Life made. He called them Candle Lives because their light resembles the progression of someone's life.

"The one that just went out? That was Obstimon's. And this one over here," He turned away from me, the change in position also changing the pictures that the shadows made on his armor. Drawing my eyes away from the dark images dancing before me, my gaze followed Vigomon's to a second candle that no longer glowed valiantly. "This one is Sentimon's. I was starting to wonder when Raveamon would get to them, but I never expected it to make me feel this way…"

Tears came to my eyes at his words; did this mean what I thought it did? Although I feared the answer to my next inquiry, I knew that I would have to bring it up sometime, and I didn't want it to haunt my mind any longer than what was necessary. "So…what you're saying by…'progression'…is that when the light goes out, they're…gone?" I couldn't bring myself to say the word that was coursing through my veins, bashing around in my brain like a wild boar that had been shot by an arrow and was slowly bleeding to death.

That was the word. Death. Not living. Not breathing. Not _anything_.

Dead.

I didn't want to see Vigomon nod his head, I didn't want to see him shake his head. I didn't want to see anything. I almost didn't want to know if what I was thinking—what I couldn't get out of my head—was correct. Almost. Vigomon looked away from me, hiding his face from me as he bobbed his head in a nearly unnoticeable fashion. But I saw it, and wished that I hadn't. He said nothing to me, not one word. He didn't have to.

Curling my hands into fists and gritting my teeth, I snarled out a cry of internal pain as I bowed my head. I closed my eyes tightly, so tightly that it stung and little spots of color formed in my vision, because I wanted this to be some kind of joke. A cruel joke that Vigomon was playing on me for no reason other than the fact that he could and thought that it would be funny to see me in such turmoil.

But he wasn't laughing. Vigomon was just as distraught over the loss of the two other Sentinels—my _parents_—as I was. He appeared to be facing it the same way, too: By trying to convince himself that this hadn't happened, that they only two people that he'd ever found himself able to trust in this _Kamisama_-forsaken world were gone. Out of his life forever. Out of both of our lives forever. Well, all of them except for what still existed in our memories.

I felt an electric shock ripple through me as I recalled Obstimon's urgent warning regarding Vigomon's safety. Pain racked my heart at the fact that I'd forgotten for even a moment; I was the only hope that my Sentinel-brother had left, I was the only one left in this world who was willing to protect him against those who misunderstood him. Those who thought he was losing his mind. I had to remember that with Obstimon and Sentimon gone, I was all that Vigomon had left.

That was why he refused to fight me. He needed me.

Such thoughts rushed around in my mind, drilling power, hope, and courage into every cell in my body until I thought I might explode. Was this how every other Sentinel felt before they were about to take part in something, a battle for the greater good, that might end up taking their life away? It made me feel like something that I'd never thought I'd be able to refer to myself again as: A good guy.

"Vigomon, we have to get out of here. Now. Raveamon has orders to come and kill you, and Obstimon's last wish was that I do whatever I can to keep her from getting to you. Without my Spirits, I can't do a lot, but I can still give you enough time to get away," Rising from the ground, I held my shoulders squarely, by back straight and warrior-like despite how much pain it caused me to stand in such a formal, righteous manner. "I'll do whatever I can to stall her, but I can't keep her at bay forever. You should hurry and get out of here before she comes." I expected the Sentinel in the circle to turn, stare at me for a moment, then get to his feet and do as I said. Maybe give a word of thanks regarding the warning.

But he did nothing. The mentally-scrambled Sentinel remained motionless in the candlelight, though he did turn his head halfway to face me, his eyes swiveling to bore into me like knives, screwdrivers. We stared at one another for a long time, time that he could've been using to get the hell out of here and save his skin instead of risking it out of utter stubbornness. Was he doing this because he didn't believe me? Did he not want me to sacrifice myself for him to flee in such a seemingly cowardly manner?

I didn't care about his pride, though. I cared about his life, and the life of the little boy that was harbored within him. "Go!" I shouted as loud as I dared, knowing that Raveamon might hear from the distance and learn of our exact location. Slashing my arm out in front of me, I jabbed it towards the wilderness, hoping that the gesture might convince him further of how serious I was. "I don't care what happens to me! I promised Obstimon that I would save you, and I'll—stop staring at that flame and look at me!"

As I was speaking, Vigomon's blank eyes had dropped from me and had returned to staring at one of the five still-shining candles. He looked at it with such a tender gaze, the little thing appearing poor and malnourished compared to the flames at its sides. It was an intoxicating sight. But I knew that the flickering, about-to-go-out show wasn't good. "…Is that one…your Candle Life?" I inquired tentatively, knowing that he could recognize whose candle was whose despite the fact that I saw no marking indicating any name or Digital symbol.

"…No…" A soft, hushed whisper that I could barely hear over the tiny breeze ruffling my matted and knotted hair over my ears dripped from his lips like tears. The tears that I now saw pooling at the corners of his eyes. I'd never seen a Digimon as strong as this one cry before, and it made me more nervous than I'd ever been in my entire life. Mukademon, the horrid Beast Spirit of my mother's, was nothing compared to the tears that this incredible Digimon was holding back.

I gulped hard, a large, dry lump forming in my throat; it was like I'd swallowed a cup of wet sand and just couldn't get it to go down. It wasn't choking me, but I prayed to anyone who would listen to have a bit of mercy and let it be the end of me. "…Whose is it, then?" I tightened my fists, my nails digging into my palms and my knuckles turning white despite the dirt that covered them. I didn't want to hear what he had to say, if he would answer at all. There was only one Sentinel left if you didn't count Vigomon: the Guardians of the Moon. There was but one question.

Which one was going to die?

His eyes closed, his frightening tears slipping down his face, the broken creature's voice broke as he shouted, pain tracing every letter with a bloody finger, "…Yours…!" The sand in my throat turned to acid, eating the color from my skin and stealing the strength away from the rest of my body. My hands remained in fists, though, and I held myself up in that warrior-way that I'd always seen Raveamon stand in.

If I was going to die today, I was going to go out feeling that way I should've from the start: Like a Guardian. Like a Sentinel. Like I was worth something. Like I meant something in this world, and had meant something to someone in the human world. I wasn't a waste of space, no matter what Raveamon wanted me to believe. And she, my beloved Human Spirit, was _not_ evil. She was no devil, no demon, no mere _creature_. She was mine. My Spirit, my friend, my companion. And I was willing to do anything to save her and my brother.

I was ready to die.

"It seems like you've been saying that all your life, Toshiku," A sharp, cold chill dug its claws into my back at the icy voice that echoed through the darkness behind me. It was the kind of voice that you never got used to hearing, always being a surprise to your ears. The kind of surprise you felt when you realized that there was something standing behind you. In the dark. When you should be all alone. But you're not. "But we'll be finding out whether or not you're lying this time, won't we?"

A confident, maliciously sick chortle tore from Raveamon's throat, sounding as if she'd just severed someone's head and had been sprayed with his blood. Seeing as she was this lost to the light, I wouldn't be surprised if she had done something like that during her time apart from me. It was a terrifyingly real possibility, no matter how sad it made me. My Human Spirit enjoyed her own pain and the pain of others. Why wouldn't she go off and become a serial killer in her free time?

Glancing around me, the dark-hearted fiend grinned and waggled her fingers at Vigomon, who merely ignored her childish but harm-intending antics. "So, I see you've found your silly little brother before me," Her eyes turned from my Digital brother to me; she seemed taken aback that I neither had looked nor spoken to her once yet. She was trying not to let it get to her. "Not that I'm surprised. You always were a stubborn, hard-headed little _subeta_ when it came to competitions—"

"This isn't a game, Raveamon. Not to me. Not anymore," Slowly, dreading what I might see, I turned around and faced my Spirit. She was the same way that she'd always been on the outside aside from her bloodshot eyes and demonic grin, but she was broken and twisted and knotted on the inside like necklaces all mangled together in a jewelry box left unattended for ages. I hoped I could be the one able to sort out that mess.

"I know now that I don't have to be the strongest physically to be a great warrior—a great Sentinel. It's all in my head; it's what I think of myself. It's the decisions I make and how I go about acting on them. It's about what I stand for, what's in my soul, my heart, and what I believe is right and wrong. And right now, Raveamon, you're doing an awful lot of wrong. And as a Sentinel, it's my duty to atone for the wrong you've done.

"I am willing to do anything and everything it takes to save the soul of the being behind me that you are threatening, and any other person that fears for his safety. I will give life, love, and liberty to protect those who need it, and without a second glance at what it will cost me. You see, Raveamon, I stopped caring about that. I've felt the worst pains the world has to offer; what can fate throw at me that I haven't already seen? What can you do to me that could possibly make me fear you?

"So, yes, Raveamon. We are going to find something out tonight, but not about me. Tonight, I'm not fighting for myself, and I never will again. Tonight, I will fight for those who need me. I will defend Vigomon, and I will do anything I can to bring you back to where you belong: standing right here by my side. So," I breathed in deeply through my nose, feeling the sweet, clean air of the Digital World filling my lungs and giving my beaten body strength. "Any more questions?"

It was clear to see that Raveamon hadn't been expecting such a change in me. She knew the girl who would fight to the death if someone merely dishonored her, but here…_this_ was. This sick, sick, _sick_ child who thought that it would make a difference in the long run if she kept on going even though there was nothing more that she could do. This little…_thing_ standing between her and her prize. This…

This beam of light breaking through the dark void of her world.

Raveamon snarled menacingly at me, her upper lip curled back and twitching in a bestial fashion. "You've no Spirit to evolve to, do you?" Raising her nose to the air slightly, she breathed in an exaggerated way, scenting the air like a dog would if in search of a rabbit. The black-suited Digimon looked more vicious than any fighting mutt that I'd ever seen before, though. Much more.

Lowering her head and staring at me heavily from under her long, dark lashes, her scowl remained fierce as she answered her own question. "I don't smell Wereraiomon's essence anywhere near you," A sudden rage filled her body as she suddenly took offence at something she assumed I was hinting at with my actions. Something I hadn't meant at all. "You…you think you don't need a Spirit to fight me with, don't you, you foolish, insignificant, worthless idiot!" Her voice rose to a roar by the end of her sentence, my ears ringing at the deafening decibel she could reach.

Rivers of curses dripped from her mouth as she stormed forward, her pulsating sword now clenched tightly in her fist, its intention set clear in her mind. But I felt no fear of her. I knew that when the time came, I could defeat her. Spirit or no Spirit, she would see the light once more. Time, yes, it would take some time. This would not be a short fight. However, in the end, I knew that she would be returned to her former glory.

She would be mine once more. If only for a moment.

I was taken off-guard when something grabbed my shoulder from behind, yanking me backwards and into the circle of candles forcefully. Looking up hurriedly, I saw that Vigomon had his hand on my shoulder, keeping me beside him there in the haven of the light. His pained eyes were trained on Raveamon, reduced to slits as he watched her come closer and closer, all her hate and malevolence painted on her face.

I opened my mouth to tell him to get out of there while Raveamon was so fixated on me, but no sound came out. My throat was dry and refused to cooperate with my eager lips and tongue; I doubted Vigomon would've listened to me anyway. My brother had been like me in that way, having that touch of stubbornness. I was, by far, much worse, but apparently his Digimon-DNA was amplifying some of his attributes.

Neither of us moved as Raveamon reached the edge of the candles, coming to a stop a foot away from the border. I could hear her ragged breathing, see the pulsing, aggravated veins popping out of her neck and face, and taste the satanic black seeping from her pores. Her grip on the white weapon tensed as she raised it high above her head, but still Vigomon made no sign of moving. He didn't even seem afraid of her. Not at all.

With an ear-splitting yell that would've made one think she was in pain, Raveamon brought her sword down hard, aiming to split me in two from the head down. I found it impossible to move; I couldn't even close my eyes and await the impact moment. I just stood there paralyzed, and stared at the face of my soon-to-be killer. My Human Spirit. My friend. And now, even when she was about to kill me, I could find no hate for her in my soul. There was nothing of the sort.

But the strike never came. A loud crack sounded above me, shocking me out of my paralysis and making me flinch. When I looked up, I saw that Raveamon was staring at where her sword had become lodged in what appeared to be a Plexiglas bubble that had enveloped the circle of candles. The curved point of the Moon Beam's blade had cracked the top part where it had first made contact, but other than that it had done nothing but stun my attacker.

"I knew she was coming for me," Vigomon's voice startled me, having not heard him speak since he'd said that I was going to die some time very soon. I'd been waiting for that moment to come, counting the seconds until it would, but…it never would if he kept rescuing me like that. Not that I wasn't grateful, just…confused. "And I knew that you were coming as well, to warn me. I may not use them often, but I share many of the same powers that your Spirits have. All of us Sentinels have them.

"I've read your mind since the day I learned you were in the Digital World, I've hunted you for just as long. Cherubimon never allowed me to attack you, told me to wait until the time was right, but I'd never truly felt the want to. You were too…familiar. Too interesting and fascinating a human to kill. However, orders were orders, and Sentimon and Obstimon both were keen on going after you as that monster had wanted. So, I went along with things.

"It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I started to realize something was very, very wrong. I began to have dreams that I couldn't seem to wake up from; Cherubimon woke me from one, I'm sure you remember it. It was the day that I saved you from Mercurymon and Ranamon, when they stole you away from the Warriors in Seraphimon's castle. I…I'd thought that it was all a dream, so I…I helped you without a second thought. It felt right to be…that way with you, that friendly…that…close…

"Cherubimon tried to get me to understand why it was crucial that you die, and why it was so important that it be done quickly. But I didn't want you to. I wasn't done figuring out who you were, and what you meant to me—no, why you _affected_ me the way you did. Every night I would lie awake, plagued by your face, your memory. And I just couldn't understand why.

"Then he told Duskmon the news I'd dreaded. It was time for Raveamon to wake up. I knew that if she took over your mind, you would surely die. Maybe in a matter of hours, days if you were truly unlucky enough to suffer for that long. I tried to get Cherubimon to reconsider, but he could sense that my mind was damaged by you, and he refused to listen to me, sending me away from him to collect myself. But I couldn't. I didn't know how to give you up after so long.

"Everything goes blurry right about there. Obstimon thought that I was losing my mind, and Sentimon was beginning to follow in my footsteps. Try as hard as I might, I couldn't bring myself to admit that I was wrong and Cherubimon was right, that it was for the best that you die. Your voice kept running through my mind, what you called me that day I fought Mercurymon and Ranamon for you. You called me 'Daijiro', 'brother'. I couldn't stop thinking about that.

"I heard a little voice in my mind, talking to me, whispering in the most sincere little voice that I'd ever heard before in my life. He kept telling me, 'You're right. He's wrong. Don't give up' saying that same thing over and over again until I was almost sick of hearing it. I didn't understand what he was talking about until a few days ago, and even then I didn't want him to be right because…well, it was impossible! But, then again, nothing seems to be impossible when it comes to this place.

"There are three souls residing in this body: Your brother's, the original Vigomon's, and the evil soul that Cherubimon planted. They can be separated, but there's only one way for it to be done, and you're not going to like it," His face had become grave, solemn but certain as he continued to stare at Raveamon, still beating at the barrier between her and her victims. "But it must be done. I need you to promise me that no matter what you see, no matter what I do, you will _not _help me. You must do this for me. For your brother."

Stunned and speechless, I looked away from Raveamon to stare into Vigomon's stony face. He refused to even glance at me, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, ready to fight. I didn't know what he was going to do, but I could sense that he knew. He'd spent more than enough time thinking and planning and learning to be able to come up with a hypothesis that was plausible. A theory that could explain all of this. But even if he wasn't as calculated and intelligent as he was…

As Sentinels, I was required to trust him.

Nodding my head slightly, I gulped and forced my voice to a decibel a bit louder than a whisper, "…I promise…not to do anything…" The words of resignation stung as they passed my lips, feeling as if I'd taken an ember still burning a bright, angry red and tried to swallow it. There was nothing worse in my mind than not being able to come to someone's defense if they were in need, especially now that I'd specifically been told not to help. It was like being commanded not to breathe.

Not even three seconds after I'd given my oath, Vigomon acted. He unsheathed his sword, and slashed it against the shiny, clear surface of the bubble that Raveamon had been beating mercilessly on for the past couple of minutes. The one little strike was enough to make the entire thing disintegrate before my eyes, the material turning into a dust that blew away in the wind, sparkling like glitter as it flew away. But they little specks only held my attention for a few moments, Vigomon having captured it again when he leapt high up into the air, catapulting himself over Raveamon's head and onto the ground behind her.

She turned quickly, stunned by his actions as much as I was. Grinning at him darkly, a deep chuckle erupted from within her pale throat. "So, you are willing to fight. You'll never know how happy that makes me." The demon threw her head back and a witch-like cackle echoed throughout the whole clearing, making me shudder involuntarily. Vigomon, however, stood like a stone, poised with his sword before him, ready for battle.

The promise I'd made to stay out of the fight was far from my mind as it finally ensued, but I couldn't move from the circle even if I had wanted to. My legs were frozen in place, numb to the point of having to look to make sure they were still there. Both heart and soul now stood still, feeling empty and dusty like a house that had had one too many scary stories told about it.

Vigomon was a valiant soldier, every movement, either offensive or defensive, was perfectly placed and purposeful. He was in complete control of himself, unlike Raveamon. She pounded on his armor with her sword and body like a madman, growls and cries pouring from her lips like blood from a wound. Each of her blows sounded like two trucks in a head-on collision, but neither of them seemed to be in any pain. Sometimes I noticed a grimace, but nothing else.

Nevertheless, one of them had to fall eventually. It was only a matter of time.

Metal clanged and scraped against fellow metal as their swords locked, but Vigomon shoved the shadow-shrouded saint away with a grunt, reclaiming his original battle stance immediately. Raveamon allowed him to throw her back a yard or two, relaxing her body and letting it move however it pleased as she came to a stop. I would've expected her to be outraged; this other Digimon was holding his own against her! But she wasn't. She was still smiling as if she thought this was funny.

After a short moment of silence, a sweetly villainous voice flooded the air in a way I hadn't for a very long time, the reverberations directed to Vigomon. " Somewhere beyond happiness and sadness, I need to calculate what creates my own madness. And I'm addicted to your punishment. Yeah, you're the master, and I am waiting for disaster.

" I feel irrational, so confrontational. To tell the truth, I am getting away with murder! It is impossible to never tell the truth. But to tell the truth I am— " Without so much as a flinch or a mere warning, Raveamon hurled her sword like a knife, the blade slicing through Vigomon's armor and sinking deep into his chest with a sickening sound. The crack of the armor was like bones breaking, and, without a doubt, a few of his ribs probably had been shattered.

With a grin twisting her face, Raveamon finished her little song as a tear fell from my eye. " Getting away with murder! " There was not one single clue that hinted towards any kind of remorse in Raveamon's gaze, not even a pinch of sadness for the fatal blow having been dealt to an adversary who'd been capable of holding himself firm in her presence while others had crumbled. It made me angry. Angry enough to act.

A cloud of fine, white, and smoke-like vapors began to veil Vigomon as he began to collapse, Raveamon's sword still wedged in his chest. He dropped to his knees, sticking his own sword into the ground to try and keep himself upright for a tad bit longer; it wasn't helping much. I could see that this was bad; hell, I could sense it. That smoke wasn't normal. It wasn't how regular Digimon died. At first, I wasn't quite sure what it was, but now, as I stared, I knew.

Vigomon had said before how there were multiple souls existing within that one body: the Spirits of the Sentinel of Life, the evil entity Cherubimon had injected, and Daijiro. With Vigomon's element, he could control certain aspects regarding life and death, like I could with water and the moon, so he would be able to choose what would die. Body or spirit. And with three spirits to choose from, all he'd have to do would be single out the evil one, and then all of our problems would be solved.

Unless he wasn't strong enough to beat the entity. The darkness.

My mind whirred with confusion and fear; not knowing what was going to happen but knowing that there was absolutely nothing that I could do frightened me. But my fear subsided slightly and bubbled into rage when I saw that Raveamon was moving steadily back over to him. Going back in for the kill. She was ready for this to be over and done, ready to slit his throat and race back away into the night and leave me with my pain and sorrow.

_Not on my watch. _Clenching my teeth against my body's unwillingness, I forced myself forward and out of the circle of Sentinel candles. I scanned the ground hurriedly for any kind of weapon, finding only a semi-thick tree limb that had been knocked down back when I'd first came to the clearing, far before Raveamon had appeared. Snatching it up without breaking stride, I forced all fear from my mind as I jumped up and smashed the branch into the side of Raveamon's head.

The branch shattered on impact, but the black-tinted warrior hadn't even seemed surprised by what I had thought had been a sneak-attack. If anything, the assault had qualified as being a bit irritating. She turned back to face me slowly, menacingly, her crimson eyes burning as if she were stunned that I had acted in such a vainly courageous manner to help someone that had once been my enemy. She knew the person who would rather die than help an opponent.

But she'd only ever seen the dark side of me.

Without a single word of recognition or even denouncement, Raveamon snarled viciously and swatted me away from her with her arm. She hit me hard, obviously not caring that I was merely human now, and much more vulnerable and feeble in such a form. The air was forced from my lungs as her arm collided with my torso, sending me flying through the air and bringing me to drop the remainders of the tree limb.

I came to an abrupt stop when my back hit a rough tree trunk, my head smacking back against the hard wood. Black began to dot at my vision almost playfully as I dropped to the ground face-first, tasting iron and dirt in my mouth as I tried to remain conscious. But, as time went on, it became more and more difficult to tell what was real and what was a dream.

* * *

Blinded by bright white light, I raised my hands to try and shield my eyes so that they could have a moment or two to adjust. I'd never been anywhere this white and clear before; it was unnatural, unreal. It felt as if I were trapped inside a cloud, or a mental institute. Based on my previous actions, words, and thoughts, I was starting to think that the psycho ward was much more likely.

After a couple of moments, my eyes became a bit more used to the extremely white lights that seemed to come from nowhere, and I took a look around me. However, I couldn't make out where I was. I saw nothing that resembled walls, or a ceiling, or even a floor. No trees, no bushes, no dirt, no nothing. I was in a huge, empty, endless, white space. No color anywhere around me, except for me. But even then, looking at my skin and clothes, I was surprised.

I was in absolutely no pain; all my scratches, gashes, and bruises were gone, along with any scars that they would've left. Even all my original scars were gone, leaving me with completely clean, spotless skin. Even my clothes were clean—cleaner than they'd probably been when I'd first bought them. It made me feel as if I'd been perfected by something powerful, but such a thought felt a little silly to me. Why would something put so much effort into making me a little bit less horrible?

"I don't think you've ever been horrible, Toshiku. Misguided and often oblivious, but not horrible."

I spun hurriedly to face the direction that the oddly serene and beautiful voice had come from, but it was beyond difficult to guess where to look in a place such as this. It was like being upside down in black waters, not knowing which way was up, but knowing that if you didn't find it soon, it wasn't going to matter anymore. Oxygen would no longer be a requirement.

Though I was searching as hard as I could, I saw nothing, no one. And the echo that the voice had created was long gone now in the air around me, though it was fresh and quite new within my mind. It was one of those noises that you heard, but you could never forget, like a loved one's final words before passing, a lover's last good-bye, a good friend's gentle laugh. But this…this had been like the voice of a queen, each and every syllable having been pronounced with utmost clarity and tranquility. There was nothing that could compare.

But who had it been? I'd tried to call out, but my voice refused to come to me. I felt the air rushing in and out of my mouth and nose in an attempt to breathe in and out, trying multiple times to break the barrier around my throat by screaming, but even then, nothing came out. It was as if I didn't really exist, like I wasn't physical enough to make any noise. Of course, that didn't explain how that woman had been able to speak…

"You're quick when you want to be," A feminine chuckle sounded from behind me, and I spun around madly to face whoever had appeared behind me so suddenly. I was completely unprepared for who stood there behind me. A very, very tall woman wearing long, flowing purple robes with long blond hair, her bangs kept out of her face by a white metallic band that looked incredibly familiar, and bold, wise eyes that were of the most radiant blue I'd ever seen. It was unbelievable, the perfection of her face.

Except for one thing.

There was a kind of mask over most of her face, hiding her nose and her mouth, along with both cheeks. It was intricately marked, the lines and swirls and symbols all seeming so precise that I figured that they must mean something. However, what that something was, I had next to no idea. I did notice that a couple of the strange squiggles on her robes and mask seemed to resemble the symbol for Moon though…

Before I had a chance to try and speak again, the mystery Digimon-woman beat me to it. "I know that your life hasn't been going so well for you recently, having found out so much of the truth so quickly with none of it really being explained to you. Not to mention losing many of the people that you loved very dearly, be it to death or the line of duty. And believe me, I know the feeling well.

"You've been getting better slowly, and I'm proud of you. It's an honor to be one of you, one of the Moon Dwellers. But I'm also aware of the pickle that you're in: You don't have a Spirit to evolve to. And, with your potential in this world, I believe that that's a true pity. Enough so, that I'm willing to help you," The currently nameless Digimon extended one of her hands to me; her fingers were long and metallic, looking more like a part of a machine than a hand. "Take my hand, and we'll save this world together."

I stared up at her face, my gaze locking with hers as I ignored her offer for the moment. I didn't understand. Where was I? Why was it impossible for me to make even the smallest of sounds when she could do all of this and not even wonder about my strange silence? Who was this, anyway? She seemed so familiar, her face…I knew that I'd seen it before. But her robes were not as easy to recall, nor was the gentleness in her voice.

But, if one was to add anger and pain to it, then I knew for certain whom it was. Adding the face to the new voice I could actually remember, I was completely sure who it was I was speaking with, and it made me want to fall to my knees in reverence. Dreams had crossed my mind that she'd been in, visions of the past had been centered around her, but never once had I ever thought that I would be face to face with her.

Shitsurenmon

Without another moment's hesitation, I placed my hand in hers, ready for anything that might be thrown my way. I had the Digimon who fought with Lucemon and survived, being able to leave him with a single scar to show for her efforts. I had nothing to fear. Daijiro had nothing to fear. The Digital World was going to be all right after all.

* * *

I was blinded again, but this time by the dark of the night that shrouded me like thick smog. The earthy scent of wet dirt was strong around me, and I could taste it faintly in my mouth after I got past the sticky-iron taste of old blood. For a moment, I wasn't certain why I'd fallen asleep. There was something I had to do, something important that I had to find…

It hit me like a grenade, exploding in a matter of seconds.

Despite the pain that wracked my whole body, I shot to my feet, spinning around and around, searching for the two Digimon that had been fighting the last time I'd been conscious. But they weren't there. Both were gone. The only trace that was left behind was some splattered blood and the remnants of their forest-battleground. Trees were split in unnatural angles and huge branches were scattered all over the ground. But I cared very little about the trees right now.

I'd failed again; the knowledge of this weighed so heavily upon me that I found it impossible to remain upright. I dropped back down onto my seat, leaning against the battered tree behind me. My breath caught in my throat as my mind and heart began to process exactly what that meant. Biting my bottom lip to keep it from trembling, my hand flew to my neck, attempting to seek peace and comfort from the verres that were always with me. They reminded me of the friends that I'd had to leave, made me feel a little bit more real and not quite so…empty.

But they were also gone. The whole collar, _gone_.

I gasped in shock, eyes and hands immediately beginning to search the ground for any of the variously colored gems. There was a chance that it had just dropped from my neck due to the force of Raveamon's punch, but it had never fallen off before. Nothing could explain its disappearance other than that which I feared the most: Raveamon had taken it.

Pain and betrayal drilled deeply into my chest; there was no way to describe the absolute despair that wracked my soul. I was lost in a sea of black without any kind of light, without any way of knowing which way was the right way to swim to be able to get away from the storm, the hurricane, that was barreling down at me. I had nothing. And I couldn't save my brother with nothing. If he was even still alive to be able to be saved.

I wasn't sure if I'd felt more defeated in my life compared to what I did right now. I couldn't find a reason to get my feet to want to carry me, my legs to want to run as far from this place as they could go. There was no purpose for anything. I'd lost my brother, the last of my family, the one that I'd harmed the most. He hadn't deserved to be killed, especially not by someone as cruel and cold as whom Raveamon had turned out to be. He shouldn't have had to face any of this pain.

But he did face it. He fought against it as hard as he could, tried his best to win the battle. But even the greatest strike he could dish out wasn't enough to win his right to live back. That was where I should've stepped in. I should've taken the penalty for losing for him. I should've been there, I should've been more responsible. Maybe then I would be able to make up for what I'd done.

It was too late now.

I wanted to dig a hole in the ground and bury myself, suffocate myself with dirt and hope that I woke up in a place where I could pay for all the wicked things that I'd done, but I knew that I couldn't give up. Raveamon was still out there, and I couldn't let her destroy someone else's brother. She had to be stopped even if I had absolutely no idea how to do it without a Spirit. _But what about what Shitsurenmon said? She said she'd fix that._

My thoughts dissected the dream I'd just woken from, trying to recall everything that Shitsurenmon had mentioned. I even noted how her eyes had gazed upon me—like I would wake up confused beyond belief. She'd stared at me as if she knew something I should know but couldn't remember. She was right; I couldn't remember anything important, anything that would help me out right now.

I had no idea what to do now except stand up and just start walking until I thought up some stupid, reckless plot that would probably get me killed. It was my turn, anyways, seeing how both my parents and my brother were dead. I had nothing more to live for, to fight for. _You have the Digital World, you have your friends, and you have Raveamon. You have to protect this world, guide your friends, and save your Human Spirit. Don't you dare give up._

Knowing my thoughts were right, I sighed and began to rise to my feet, unnerved by the sudden pain that I felt. The dream had taken away the pain long enough that I'd forgotten how badly I'd really been hurting, inside and out. I'd been used to it before, the soreness, exhaustion, tenderness, everything, but now I wasn't sure if I would be able to do much of anything and be successful.

However, my mind did not linger on my chances of survival with such a beaten body for very long. It was dragged from said thoughts when I felt something thump against my leg in a very, very familiar way. _It couldn't be…_ My eyes widened in shock as my hands hurried to grasp at this miracle hanging from one of my belt loops. Everything stopped—my heart, the wind, the Digital World's spinning—when I saw what it was.

Another D-Tector.

Unclipping the shiny new device from my belt, I held it before me in two shaking hands, staring at it like a child would a new pet that they'd been praying for years for. It was nothing like my previous D-Tector, having been black and white. This one was a brilliant gold, the buttons a purple more royal than what any of the nobles in the ancient worlds could've wished to have worn. I'd never seen anything like it before, none of the Warrior's D-Tectors looked quite like this one.

But how had it come into my possession? There was no one around me that could've been able to give it to me—or would've at all—and if they had (like, if it had been Vigomon), they would've said something. But, no. Nothing had been told to me, nothing at all. Vigomon hadn't even hinted at anything concerning a new D-Tector; he hadn't seemed to notice it, and neither had Raveamon.

_'You don't have a Spirit to evolve to…I'm willing to help you. Take my hand, and we'll save this world together' _My head buzzed with understanding when the realization finally hit me, striking me across the face as if having been slapped back to my senses. Shitsurenmon had done this—that was no dream that I'd had, it was all real! I'd really met Shitsurenmon, the Digimon who fought Lucemon and lived, in the flesh!

"'We'll save this world together'," I muttered her words to myself as I continued to gaze at the D-Tector, turning it over and over in my hands. I had to make sure it was real; there was no way that I was having this kind of good fortune. This had to be some kind of trick, right? But it felt real. It felt true. It felt _alive_. I could swear that I felt a pounding coming from within the device, a heart trapped inside striving to break through and bond with my own.

My hands shook violently as I pressed my fingers together, focusing on the center of my palm just like old times. Within moments, a diamond of data surrounded my hand, a shape that it had never taken before. I gazed at the two things before me: the new D-Tector and my own data-shrouded hand. A peace had passed over me, a sensation that was unlike anything that I'd ever felt before—like being stranded in a winter forest without ever feeling the utter coldness, drowning in an ocean but being able to breathe under water. But still…I was terrified to find out what I would become when that data was slashed.

Taking a deep breath and fighting back my fears with Shitsurenmon's words, I slowly dragged the data across the slot necessary to make the transformation; data enveloped my whole body almost instantly. Power and strength and healing coursed through every part of my body as my form was changed, all my pain fading away like dirt on the skin of a child standing out in a warm, tender rain. It was the most incredible thing I'd felt in a long time.

When the data finally left me, disappearing into the night and leaving me in darkness once more, I opened my new eyes to see what I'd become, fearing slightly what it might be. But all doubt left me almost instantly—I was stunned by what I saw since this body was so different from the queen-like Digimon I'd seen before, but I could tell that despite all the huge differences, it was still the same Digimon beneath the new exterior.

My whole body was metallic except for my head and neck, all places were skin showed was, instead of being the normal skin tone, was a silvery chrome. My hands and feet were basically the same as what the vision had shown me of Shitsurenmon: completely metallic, with sharp, pointed fingers that looked more like scissor blades than fingers. The metal frame of my body was covered with thick black leather, though there were some square holes showing the chrome beneath for reasons I was unsure of. Chains and belts were tied around various parts of my body, along with two thin swords strapped to my back. My hair was short and blonde, held out of bold, threatening blue eyes by that same familiar band (I knew why I'd recognized it now—it was the same thing that Kazemon wore over her eyes). The same odd mask covered my mouth, though I knew not why.

However, before I could make any conscious effort to figure anything out about it, my mind went blank like it had in that white empty space. It was filled, not by my own thoughts, but by the words of someone else, someone I now knew well. "This is my battle form, if you haven't already guessed. What do you think? Test it out, make sure you know you can handle this body. I have next to no control over it." Shitsurenmon's voice within me was confident but concerned, as if she knew something I didn't yet again.

I didn't worry about it even as I began to obey her request for me to practice before leaving the place I was currently at. "All right…" I clenched my fists a time or two just to see what it felt like to have hands made out of metal, and was completely unprepared for what became of my little test. Two grenades appeared in each of my palms.

"Holy—" Reacting much faster than humanly possible, I tossed both unpinned grenades up into the air and dashed away from them. They exploded only moments later, destroying everything around them that was within four or five meters from the detonation point. _…A bit of warning would've been nice…but holy crap that was freaking awesome!_

My pleasure with how powerful those blasts had been cancelled out my annoyance of having had no idea such a thing was possible—that grenades could pop out of my hands. But if that could happen, what else could this amazingly unstable body do? For all I knew, there were no limits as to what I could do while in this form!

"Oh, please," Shitsurenmon sounded mildly amused at my enthusiasm over her battle form. I wasn't surprised; technically, I was gushing over how incredible she was. And most people liked it when that happened. "The real thing you need to know about it is the Apocalypse Spin." She said it so calmly, as if it really didn't matter much at all, as if it were utterly normal and there was nothing special about the attack that she'd mentioned.

I felt that it was the exact opposite. "What do I do? I don't know what that is." I glanced down at my hands, wondering if I would figure it out if I tried to make them into fists again. However, my foolish mental wanderings were interrupted by Shitsurenmon's answer, though it was not a verbal one. A sense of knowing swept over me, bringing me to understand everything and anything I might need to know about this form and what it could do. Including the Apocalypse Spin.

Holding my hands out to each side, I breathed in and out deeply, trying to both mentally and physically prepare myself for such an intricately choreographed attack. However, I was interrupted by Shitsurenmon's voice sounding in my head again, "You don't have time for this, Toshiku. Your brother doesn't have much time—he needs your help right now!"

Everything stopped around me.

My heart slowed its beating until I was almost positive that it had completely stopped. How could this be? Daijiro was…still alive? Raveamon hadn't killed him? Was this true? There was no way, it couldn't be true. Why would Raveamon leave him alive…unless she was trying to use him as bait to get to me now that she knew for sure who he really was? And knowing that I wouldn't be able to just leave him to die…she knew I'd be coming.

But that didn't matter to me. Closing my hands into fists so tightly the metal creaked, I realized something: I'd promised myself that I wouldn't let my worry over Raveamon get in the way of my duty as a Sentinel. I'd left the warm embrace of my friends and lover in order to true to the Digital World—I had to do the same to Raveamon. And that meant fighting her. It meant saving my brother from her wrath.

I broke into a run then, tracing Raveamon's scent—it was like a thick black cloud of smoke, so easy to follow. But even without such a simple trail to follow, there would be no way in the world that she would be able to find a place where she could hide from me. I wasn't after her this time—I only wanted my brother, and I would do everything I could to just grab him and get away from Raveamon as fast as possible. I couldn't risk a fight that also endangered Daijiro.

But…if I had to, I was more than prepared.

_Don't worry, Dai. I'm going to make up for everything I've done. You'll see._

* * *

**I hope you guys liked that chapter! And sorry about the bit of a cliffhanger there, gotta have something to go off of for the next one lol. **

**The song that Raveamon quoted in there was Getting Away With Murder by Papa Roach.**

**Like I said before, I hope to have the next couple chapters out relatively soon, and thanks so much to everybody who's stuck with this story despite how sometimes it seems to take close to forever for me to update. You guys deserve cookies! :D**


	29. Chapter 27: Hiding Place

**Yay! I'm so happy that I got this done-I was trucking along pretty quickly, and I'm so glad that these next couple of chapters are ones that I've been looking forward to for quite a while now, so I'm hoping that I'll be able to breeze through them with no problems at all. :)**

**Anyways, thanks to all of you who've been keeping an eye on this story and have been reading/reviewing, I really appreciate it :) Please enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 27: Hiding Place

_A cool breeze blew across the snow, sending tremors through my muscles, but my heart was warm and happy. Snow in Japan usually didn't stay for very long; Daijiro and I had decided to take advantage of its presence while it was still around by going to a park only a few blocks away from our home. It was a quaint little place that wasn't visited very often by a lot of people, so the both of us felt a strange sort of safety there. _

_Mom and Dad would've come with us, but neither had been home at the moment that Daijiro convinced me to let us both go to the park. Our mother was away on another business trip—they usually were quite long; I remembered Father telling me about a trip she took when I was about three, a trip that had taken her away for a whole year—and our father was still at work and wouldn't be home for another few hours._

_Nevertheless, they never minded when Daijiro and I wandered over to the park. They trusted Daijiro to listen to me if something went wrong, and they trusted me to know what to _do _if something went wrong. But I never worried. Whenever something bad happened, a confident voice in my head—my conscience? I wasn't sure—always told me what to do. She was always there for me._

_When Daijiro and I got to the park, I noted that there were a few other kids there, most of them about seven or eight—my age—though there were a few who looked older. It didn't really bother me since everyone who came here seemed to be overwhelmed with an intense sense of calm and serenity—besides, they were kids just like us. What was there to worry about?_

"_Hey, Akihiko! Take a look at who it is!"_

_I glanced up, curiosity getting the better of me like it always did, to see what the odd ruckus was about. Nothing even close to a fight ever took place here before—there was barely any arguing that I could remember. Daijiro's head spun rapidly from the glittering snow sitting all around him to the red-haired boy that was now gesturing to whoever had attracted their attention._

_He was directing his friend's attention to my brother._

_The two of them sauntered over to us as if they were celebrities, doing their best to strut and look like they had swagger. Akihiko, a blonde-haired, dark-eyed boy that looked to be maybe a year or so older than me was grinning, apparently glad to see my brother. Daijiro was not glad to see him. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?" His eyes wandered over the two of us, obviously noting that we were practically twins in every way despite our eyes. "Daijiro, aren't you going to introduce us?"_

"_J-just leave us alone!" Daijiro's tenor voice quivered as he tried to shout, tried to sound strong and failed. His fear was obvious, clear to any of the other children who'd stopped playing to fix their eyes upon the scene taking place before them. But Dai paid them no mind, his eyes locked on Akihiko and his ginger friend as he did his best to hide himself behind me like he always did._

_Green eyes framed by perfectly brushed red bangs grinned at us before chuckling, "You'd like that, wouldn't you, punk? But we've got some unfinished business with you," The still nameless accomplice of Akihiko's made a move to grab Daijiro's arm, but I shifted and put myself between the two of them instinctively. The voice in my heart was silent, but I could feel the aggravation as if it owned a mind all its own and was projecting its emotion into me._

_He seemed a tad surprised at my action, but he got over it quickly. Glaring at me slightly, astonishment was replaced by annoyance and rage. "Look, girly, I don't know who you think you are, but this kid's been giving me and my friend a lot of grief. He interrupted a scheduled beating a couple of days ago, and now he's gotta repay us for all our wasted time. So," He waved his hand to the side, gesturing for me to get out of his way and let him hurt my brother in peace. "If you don't mind…"_

_I felt a sudden and incredible strength course through my veins; it was like adrenaline, but more like…like an emotion that you felt with your blood, your body and not your soul. It was greater than outrage, bolder and braver than sheer will and determination. It was what you expected the heroes in movies to feel when they were about to do something crazy and dangerous and stupid all in the name of saving the innocent, in the name of perfect love. But I had no name for it. _

_My hands clenched into tight fists at my sides, my voice coming low but concentrated and…lethal as I practically growled, "And if I _do_ mind?" Fear gripped tightly at my heart; its hold was colder than the snow that crunched beneath my feet. But the un-nameable feeling that currently made me feel as if I could somehow change my body and become an all-powerful beast capable of taking over the world had everything under control. Thanks to it, I could ignore my fright and stand strong._

_I could protect Daijiro from these creeps._

* * *

_But I couldn't protect him from me. _I sighed heavily, my warm breath escaping the half-face mask through six tiny slits, three on each side of a small ridge in the middle of the guise. Memories of Daijiro had been flooding my mind for the past hour; my paranoia and fear of losing him had turned into sorrow and fear that I had already lost him. I'd been running for over an hour, and still had seen neither him nor a single trace of Raveamon.

Nevertheless, I continued on. No hope penetrated my sadness; the only thing that I had to go on to save my brother was a faint reminiscence of the direction that Raveamon had gone in, but I wasn't certain if that was a true memory or a figment of my stupid imagination. I hoped it was the first of the two possibilities.

But that led me to more questions that I was afraid to think about. For example, if I was able to find Daijiro and rescue him from Raveamon (I still had no idea as to how I was going to go about doing that anyway), then what? Were we supposed to go back to being how we used to be? All happy, carefree, and loving, with no recollection of what I'd done to him for so long before that fateful car wreck? There was no way he'd do that.

There was no way to deny it: Daijiro would hate me. No matter what I might try to do, no matter how many times I would try to apologize, there was nothing that could really take back my cruel words and actions. Nothing could bring him to forgive me, or bring back the bond that we'd once had as brother and sister. I was no better than all the kids who'd tried to beat him—hell, I was worse than all of them combined!

My breath hitched, shocking me out of my thoughts. I hadn't realized that I'd started to cry, but I refused to let myself wander over the past right now. _I have to focus. I have to save Daijiro from Raveamon. It doesn't matter if he…The only thing that matters is his safety. That's the end of it. _I told myself that over and over again, and my tears dried on their own.

But my mind refused to stop attacking my heart.

_I could tell him I'm sorry for everything that I've done, and that I've been doing my best to make up for the evil I've done by helping to save this world. I could tell him how much I've risked to save him because I couldn't bear to see him hurt any more than he already has. I could promise to protect him from all of the dangers of this world, train him how to fight so he'd be able to protect himself if I were to fail—_

_Mind, I've got four words for you: Shut. The hell. Up._

I ran in complete silence from then on, not hearing a single peep coming from my trouble mind, nor feeling anything from my ravaged but still beating heart. The only sound was the echoing of my metallic feet clicking slightly as they scratched and scraped against the tough rock and soil of the Digital World. _That_ was only one of many things that I found strange about this form. But I really didn't want all those difficulties to be fresh in my mind; for all I knew, there was a battle only minutes away from me.

Or, as it turned out to be, seconds.

A wicked, cackling laugh tore through the clouds above me, ricocheting off the ground and the rocks of the Dark Continent, reaching my ears in a way most painful. I was tempted to cover my ears so that I didn't have to suffer hearing her once beautifully innocent voice, but I couldn't. I would need my hands. I would need them to fight her. Maybe kill her if I was forced to go that far.

Another second passed by before Raveamon's lithe form broke free from the thick cover of dark, menacing clouds. She shredded every atom of the atmosphere as she sliced through it, racing ever faster toward me as she dive-bombed me. The way her wings were bent ever so slightly, her body almost perfectly straight, reminded me of a hawk coming down from the heavens to strike down unsuspecting prey. However, nothing about her sadistic grin told me she was coming from a recent visit to the golden city.

"I'm almost surprised that you came to find me, Yumari. I expected that you would've thought I'd killed your brother when you awoke and found him missing, and you would've been so overcome by grief that you would've found a way to kill yourself as well. But, apparently, that didn't happen. And honestly, I'm glad. But not because you're alive," Her satanic smile grew as her voice became more sinister, her ruby eyes boring into my forehead as a bullet might. "But because that means I get to be the one to kill you. Doesn't that sound nice?"

I didn't make any sort of response to her as she pulled out of her dive and landed gracefully on her feet a few meters in front of me. My mind was too busy registering what her words clearly stated. First, she knew that I'd only come after her because I knew that I had to in order to find my kidnapped brother. She'd known all along that he would be the best method to use if she wanted to get to me.

Second, she didn't seem concerned at all regarding when, why, or how I'd gotten my new Digimon form. Hell, she didn't care one tiny bit. My Human Spirit had as much pride as I did, and she had herself convinced that she was the absolute strongest Digimon that anyone had ever laid eyes on. And for the longest time, I hadn't doubted that. There wasn't a chance in the world that I could forget how powerful and strong-willed my beloved Spirit was.

But now, she had Shitsurenmon to worry about, whether she wanted to or not.

Thanks to her mind-reading ability that I seemed to be constantly forgetting about, she was easily able to decipher my thoughts. A dark chuckle rippled from her throat and into the silence like a pebble being thrown into a stagnant pond. "Yes, your demon-hearted brother makes good bait. He's never been good for much of anything else, has he?

"And as for your pathetic new body, you're also correct. I don't give a _kuso_ about what form you might have. There's nothing, no one, in this world or any other world that has or will ever stand a chance against me, whether they have allies or come alone. Just because you're in the body of a close friend of your precious Ancient Spirit's doesn't make you any more lethal to me, or to anyone else, for that matter," She grinned widely yet again. "I doubt you even know how to control her body!"

I snarled at her from behind the mask, my upper lip twitching in pent-up rage though she couldn't see it. No part of me wanted to be lost to anger when I fought her, but it was so hard to control when she was in my head. Raveamon knew how to use her ability and knew it well; she could pull up thoughts that I didn't want to see, emotions that I didn't want to feel. She knew me better than anyone because she'd spent years dissecting my brain, my soul, from the inside.

She knew how to tear me apart using my worst fears, my unspoken weaknesses. My blind rage.

"Enough," I growled deeply, daringly, the heat of my breathing seeming that much stronger as I fumed. _I have to get a hold of myself _now_. She can't control me; she has no power over me to be able to compel me to act this way. _I took a number of slow breaths in and out to try and calm myself, shake Raveamon's hold on my psyche.

After feeling like Raveamon had finally gotten tired of playing games with my emotions, I spoke again, though this time my voice was much more controlled and stern, "Tell me where my brother is, Raveamon. What have you done with him?" She snickered to herself, giggling like the man she'd been admiring for the longest time had finally taken a liking to her, expressing it in a way most surprising. But this was not the case, and wasn't a laughing matter to me.

Bloodshot eyes locked with my own in a battle of wills as her sickeningly sweet voice sounded like a bell, like a wind chime made of knives, "Oh, please, he's fine and not worth your worry. Besides, I have so many more important things to tell you, my dear. Like, oh, I don't know…" The belt that hung rather loosely around her waist made a small chinking noise as she turned from me and looked thoughtfully over at the expanse of dark desert in the distance.

When she turned back to me again, a wide smile that revealed all of her razor-like, pointed teeth was spreading slowly over her face, distorting it the vilest way. "Like how you have a sister." My blood stopped flowing in my veins, and I felt my very soul freeze solid and drop down into my feet, shattering at the sudden impact. Seeing my reaction was just what she'd been expecting, that horrid grin was taken away from me as Raveamon dashed away.

She knew that I would follow as soon as I could feel my legs again, but I wasn't certain how long that would take. I mean, yes, Raveamon had lied to me about many, many things before, but they were things that were easy to believe. She was quick and tricky and sly; she knew how to lie to me in order to get me to trust that what she spoke was the truth. But this…

This was undeniably, although regrettably, the complete and utter truth.

But how the hell could this be possible? Had my parents been caring for a child without Daijiro or my noticing, and had become so close to said kid that she had practically become a blood relative? They couldn't have had a child that I didn't know about—unless she'd come before me and she was out of my life before I knew about her. My mind was lost in all the possibilities, though most of them were stupid or unreasonable. Except for one that…honestly, it made me stop and wonder just how strong my parents' love for one another had been.

Guesses weren't good enough for me; they didn't put my pounding heart nor my mind at rest. I had to know the truth, even if I had to drag it out of that fiend I still wished to call 'friend'. "Raveamon!" I cried her name out to the clouds that she'd disappeared into again as I broke into a sprint. My frantic eyes analyzed every rock, every lone shrub, every single black cloud, hoping to find her. "Get back here and talk to me! Tell me what you're talking about! _Who_ you're talking about!"

Nothing but silence surrounded me for the longest time, and my own aching breath was the only thing there to accompany me. As I struggled to force myself to breathe in again, however, another noise touched faintly at my eardrums. Not sure what it was, I started to turn in the direction it had come in, only to see Raveamon coming at me faster than lightning with her sword drawn, clenched in her fists, and a look of determination and hatred in her eyes.

Without even thinking, my hand flew over my shoulder and grasped onto one of the swords in the sling behind my back. Within seconds it was there in front of me, blocking Raveamon's attempt almost perfectly. The raven Digimon snarled at me, apparently not expecting me to be so fast—so much faster than _her_, actually. She struggled to push me back, but I barely even leaned backwards the tiniest bit. It felt like she wasn't trying to move me at all, but was faking it. That didn't look like the case, though.

"So," A grunt accidentally slipped from her throat, showing me just how much effort she was putting into this one little pose. It was hard to believe that there was that big of a difference between our skill levels now. My hardheaded Human Spirit was trying to ignore that huge fact, however. "You want to know more about your life from the villain who's going to end it, huh? Well—" She pulled away only to try and strike again from the other side. Another easy block. "I'll tell you, but only because I like to watch you suffer.

"I know you remember how your mother's business trips kept her away for long periods of time. Your mind locked away a lot of your memories to keep you from feeling the hurt, but there should be no reason why such a trivial thing would be lost to you. Anyway, about a year or so after you were born, your mother had to go on a rather long trip. It would be a couple of months, and she warned your father about it, but he didn't care. As long as she came back all right, he didn't care what she did or what happened.

"Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say, though, with how your mother was. Now, I don't know every little thing about her mind, but I'll be truthful: I've been inside her mind before, many times. But what I learned from my usually boring visits was that she never really loved your father as much as she would've liked to. She loved him, yes, but…not enough to be faithful.

"She went on that business trip with one thing on her mind, and it wasn't coming back to you or your father as fast as she possibly could. There was one man with whom she worked that had caught her eye, and had been the center of her world for quite some time, even though she had the complete adoration of your father already. His name was Choukichi. Choukichi Orimoto—"

Oxygen no longer cooperated with my lungs. They didn't want to breathe. My brain wouldn't let them work anymore; it had to focus all of its strength and power on figuring out how in the world I'd heard Raveamon wrong. It was a coincidence that that man's last name was the same as Zoe's, it was…it w-was just…

It couldn't be true…

Could it? "She seduced him, they did some naughty things together, and before they knew it, little Miss But-We're-Both-Already-Married was pregnant with his baby. But she was a crafty witch and had a plan before he'd really even processed how such a horrid thing could've happened. She thought that they might be able to get away with it if they both told their families that something had gone wrong in the business and the trip was going to last a very, very long time so that everything could get sorted out before something else went wrong and the whole business went under.

"But what, oh, what to do with the baby? Of course, your clever mommy had an idea on how to explain her as well. She obviously couldn't bring her back to your father; that man was far too smart for his own good and he'd figure out what had happened almost as soon as her plane hit the ground in Shibuya again. So, she told Choukichi to take the baby once it was born, and to tell his wife that he'd been heading back to his hotel room after another day of trying to fix all of the inexplicable problems that had arisen in the business, when he went through an alley and heard crying. He was to say he'd found the baby in a cardboard box, and had decided to take it upon himself to make sure that the child became part of a good family and all that other _kuso_.

"She did, of course, and your wicked mother's plan went perfectly. Not only did that little girl end up with a good home despite her whole existence being an accident and a lie, but your father didn't suspect a thing, and Choukichi's wife was thrilled with the new baby girl. Neither of the cheaters ever heard from the other again—like they cared about what happened. But the girl's story doesn't end so sweetly, because she had so much waiting for her in the future.

"She grew up happy—she had your mother's natural beauty, hidden away in deep green eyes that look just like yours—and was never told of her real mother. Her father's job forced them to move out of Japan and take up residence in Italy for quite a while, but she moved back to Japan not too long ago. And now…" Raveamon stared at me with a wicked evil grin stretching across her face in a way that almost looked painful. She'd been honest when she said she liked to see me in pain, and she was truly enjoying herself as she watched me stumble backwards, trying to get away from her words.

Raveamon closed the distance between us again and struck at me with her sword again, probably hoping that my mind would be so scrambled that I might not be able to stop her this time. But I had half a mind to realize what she was doing, and was still able to lift my sword just high enough to stop her from lodging her sword in my side. I couldn't stop her voice, though. "I want you to tell me what her name is. I want to hear the hurt in your voice—I want to see it in your eyes as you crumble!"

The dark snicker that followed her demand hurt more than any injury she could've caused me. I couldn't even look at her; I didn't want to see my evil Spirit, I didn't want to process what she was saying, I didn't want to know anymore. I cursed myself for being so curious. How had I honestly thought that learning of a sister I'd never known about before would be an easy, painless thing? Whatever I'd been thinking, I'd been wrong.

It was like watching WereGarumon die all over again, like having my family ripped away from me. Because this girl was my family, and she had been taken from me without my knowledge, without Daijiro's knowledge. She was a missing part of my world, another puzzle piece that would try its best to make me a little bit more whole. I'd always felt empty, but now…I felt like I was being pieced together with all that I was gaining, thanks to this world.

But why did ever puzzle piece have to beat me senseless, emotionally and physically, before making me better than I was before?

I shook my head slowly, and I could feel Raveamon's grin as I did. A grin of victory. "I-I can't say it…I just can't…" My sword slipped away from hers, the two metal surfaces screeching against the other as I stumbled back again. One of my chrome hands went to my face, shrouding my gaze in darkness as I closed my eyes and willed the tears of regret and sorrow to stay away. I didn't want to give Raveamon the satisfaction of watching me fall apart right in front of her.

Nevertheless, she seemed determined to force me over that edge. Throwing her head back, her piercing laugh echoed in the empty desert space, filling my ears and tearing my already wounded soul to shreds. I felt the tip of her sword slice a shallow cut into my side as she walked around me at arms'-length, but the pain meant nothing to me. It was actually, as much as I hated that the thought crossed my mind, a nice change from the searing, storming feelings within me. "You're so weak, Toshiku. So, so pathetic!

"Zoe Orimoto. Zoe, Zoe, Zoe. The Legendary Warrior of Wind that you've been fighting profusely with since you arrived here. And do you want to know something I find especially funny? She never hated you for one moment. That was _all _me. I made her act like a _subeta_ towards you, I made her try to steal your petty little Light Warrior, and I _fooled _you," Her maniacal giggle sent another punch into my head, but now it wasn't just agonizing to me. There was another feeling arising in me, but I could not place the name.

But I was…I was starting to feel _stronger_. "I fooled you for so long, keeping you in the dark as I ruined your whole life! You should've seen all the horrified expressions that you gave your pain, the complete contrite with which you suffered! The taste of blood, your blood, the blood you wasted on those idiots that you call 'friends', it was always so sweet to Cherubimon. The only good thing about you—"

"What did he offer you?" Such strength filled my voice that I might've been more surprised than Raveamon when I suddenly cut her off. I couldn't remember the last time that I'd been so careless about my tone when around her. But I did remember why I'd always been careful: I'd been afraid of her. I'd been too weak to stand up to her and know I had even the slightest chance of winning.

Now I did have a chance. And I had a good feeling that she knew it too.

She stared at me hard, sword still touching me, her body unusually tense and still. Her eyes were welded to mine, evening-red locked to morning-blue. "…What are you talking about?" There was a twitch in her eye as my gaze fully collided with hers, my hand falling away from my face to show that there was no emotion in mine at all. There was power. There was determination, a will to succeed. But there was no fear.

And I believed that that terrified Raveamon. "You know what I'm talking about," Reaching behind me, I grabbed onto the Moon Beam sword still poised at my spine, and snapped it in two with such ease that one would've thought that it was a dry noodle. "Cherubimon made you evil, he turned you into _this_. But Obstimon told me that you don't like following Cherubimon's orders; you don't think he's tough enough for this 'job'. So, what did he offer you to keep you as his little pet bird?"

She snarled at me, outraged at how I'd insulted her so carelessly, and probably a bit pissed over the fact that I'd broken her sword, rendering it useless. She cast the remainder of it away like it was trash, which was pretty much what I'd reduced it to. "Who said that I didn't choose to be like this? I don't have to follow Cherubimon's demands if I don't want to, it just so happens that his wants are similar to mine! What he 'offered' me, was an opportunity to be who I've always strived to be—"

"And who is that?" I turned around to face her, previously having had my back to her. We stared hard at each other in silence as my question filled both of our minds, as the quiet bite into both of us. It was the kind of hushed feeling that you had when you played hide-and-seek, and you were trying so hard not to make a peep lest you be found. And neither of us wanted to be found.

In this particular 'game', we were both hiding from Cherubimon. Raveamon wasn't supposed to be here with me right now, and I knew it. She knew it, but that only proved me point. She hated that Cherubimon bossed her around, loathed that he was above her. My Human Spirit was a free spirit. She couldn't stand to be in a cage, hated feeling trapped or being chained to something she could not escape from.

But now, she felt trapped by my very presence—not to mention my question—just like how I used to before Koji's nobility and determination regarding my safety saved me from becoming her puppet. My heart felt sore as it pondered that name, its fondness for that boy only having grown while we were apart. Now, however ,was not the time to be reminiscing about them, no matter how much I missed them.

_I'll come back to you, Koji, and the rest of my friends as well. I've just got a little bit of business to take care of first. But after I've helped this poor soul, this deadened friend of mine, I'll come back to you all. Alive, and stronger than ever. _"Well?" I prodded, seeing in her downcast eyes that my assumption was dead-on. "Who are you? Who's the real—"

"Shut up, kid," She snapped almost ruefully, her murderous gaze fixed upon the ground as her mind waged war on itself, searching for some kind of answer that would shut me up. "I'm just trying to think of the perfect word to prove to you just how wrong you are about me!" I may not have known the wicked side of her for very long—maybe a week or so, I wasn't sure since the days all just seemed to blend together in this world—but I knew for a fact that I'd never seen her struggle so much just to find something to say that I might believe. She couldn't even think of a halfway-decent lie.

I couldn't stop my hardened stare from softening at the sight of her in such inner turmoil. I didn't want to hurt her, but this had to be done. "Well, then, Raveamon," My words came out slowly, nice and steady, each one picked carefully, each one picked to pry her evil heart apart. "Then you're never going to be able to say anything because I'm not wrong. He's using you, just like he's using Duskmon—"

"Don't bring him into this—"

"You can't pretend you don't care about him! I see that to you, he's not just some partner that Cherubimon stuck you with. But yet here you are with me when you could be out trying to help him defeat the Legendary Warriors, maybe help him learn more about who he really is. And do you want to know why you're here with me? It's because you have about as much of a clue about who you are as he does about himself, but just like how he's got that freaky connection to Koji, you feel connected to me.

"You've convinced yourself that you'll be able to figure out who you truly are if you're able to get that last little bit of yourself that's still locked away inside me. But guess what, Raveamon? Killing me won't help you at all. You'll kill that final piece of you when all you've been trying to do is recover it—don't look at me like you don't know what I'm talking about! I know that during out separation, my mind held onto you so tightly that part of you bonded with my psyche. And part of me bonded with yours. I can sense you in me as if you never left.

"You think that you can figure out what your purpose in this world is if you kill me? No, you can't. That will never happen. But if you throw off Cherubimon's tyranny and come back to me where you belong, then you'll find out who you are—hell, I can tell you right now who you are!" I panted hard and fast as I paused, searching Raveamon's face for any sign of her starting to believe me, trust me, anything at all.

But I saw nothing in her face, not a glimmer of recognition in her eyes as she stared at me. Her whole body was motionless like a statue, like a wax doll, and I had to watch as carefully as possible to even note that she was still breathing. Her eyes were no longer fiery and angry, but they still weren't calm. There was a strange…fear in her, a bland shine that told me she was listening no matter how badly she wanted to make me stop.

She hated me, wanted me dead no matter what. But she had to listen.

I gulped back my emotion, trying to free my throat so that I could talk again. I'd dreamed of this moment since the first time I'd realized that I could try and save her. I'd hoped that there would come a time that she might listen to me, even for a short time like this, and that I might be able to break through to her. I hoped that this wouldn't fail like everything else seemed to.

My voice quivered as I quietly spoke again, her piercing eyes losing their deadly demeanor, "You are Raveamon, _my_ Human Spirit, _my_ partner, _my_ best friend. You are a part of AncientRaiafemon, sent to help me free this world from the same hand that oppresses you. You are a Sentinel, just like me, but you've been blinded by this darkness. But I'm going to help you. I'm going to restore your sight—"

"No!" I recoiled for a brief second when her voice came out louder than before, a flat-out scream. There was anger, and terror, and desperation in her voice, a fleeting look of horror in her eyes as she skirted away from me, trying to keep some kind of distance between us. "Stay away from me! You don't know anything about me—you're lying, you're wrong! I don't need your help! Stellar Shadow!" She threw her hands up into the air, the white-hot ball of energy forming quickly before she threw it at me.

I spun on my chrome, metallic toes, easily evading her attempt at offense. Leaping forward and out of the twirl, my sword still tightly gripped in my hand, I rushed over to Raveamon and brought it down over her head. She reacted fast, which I'd expected, and had her hands pressed on either side of the sword, keeping it mere inches away from slicing her in two. However, I wasn't planning on doing any such thing. She seemed to react better to my words if she knew she was close to losing.

But before I could get back onto our previous topic, she'd already brought up something else, hoping to evade my statements about freeing her for as long as she could. "How could you have changed so drastically? The girl I know would've killed me by now—she wouldn't be wasting her time on a lost cause like this!" Her eyes had returned to their cold demeanor, the break in her resolve apparently having been repaired somehow.

I'd still been close that time, though.

I took a moment to think of how to answer her. A vague memory of her mentioning this kind of an inquiry before crossed my mind, but I'd never truly explained then, and even now that I'd had all kinds of time to think this kind of thing over, I wasn't sure how to respond. And I'd gone over that question a lot myself, though not exactly that wording, per se.

My thoughts were filled with the people and Digimon I'd come to know as my friends—no, my _family_. Bokomon and Neemon and Seraphimon's still un-hatched egg, they believed in me and trusted me to protect them when the evil doers came after them, though they were innocent and defenseless. They thought I was an incredible warrior that could do no wrong, the one who might be able to lead the Legendary Warriors to victory. The savior of the Digital World, the successor of the forgotten Sentinels.

JP. The both of us had struggled to get along in the beginning, seeing as we both had thought we were far too different to ever get along. But when I'd begun losing control of Raveamon, he'd truly appeared concerned about my well-being, and had tried to offer me advice when she had really gotten a good hold of my mind. He thought I was strong even when my actions proved me to be weak.

Tommy. I could still remember that first day that we met, when my foot had gotten caught in the train door closest to him. I'd promised that I'd protect him in this world—I'd broken that promise so many times, but still…he forgave me every time. I never deserved it, but he somehow knew that it wasn't really me. He knew I didn't want to hurt him. He looked up to me. Thought I was some kind of hero.

WereGarumon. I wished now more than ever that he was still alive. No matter what anyone said, it was and would always be my fault that he wasn't with us today. But he'd promised me that he wasn't angry, that he was happy to have lived at all, glad to have met me and the others. My little pup had told me that he knew I could do this. He thought I could save the Digital World, protect the Warriors. He knew I could.

Zoe. So many things came to my mind when I thought about her. She was the Warrior of Wind, she was a good person that didn't hate me but had been controlled by Raveamon just like I had been at times, and she was my half-sister, something that I was certain she had no clue about. But did she hate me now? I wasn't sure, but I planned to do everything I could to make up for how badly I'd treated her.

Daijiro. My poor little brother, tossed about through his lightning storm of a life with no end in sight. I'd beaten him when we were children, the evil Spirit struggling beneath my sword having had a touch of control over me even way back then. But despite all of that, he still tried to see through to the real me, no matter how much pain I caused him. If I could just find him, I would tell him how sorry I was over and over again until he had to duct tape my mouth shut.

Takuya. The rambunctious little Warrior of Flame that was constantly putting me through all kinds of crap. But he supported me through all of the hard times, told me that he'd never let me suffer alone. Promised me that he'd be the first to join me if I had to go to war against this world full of evil. He'd once sworn to protect me from myself, keep me from killing myself while I tried to keep them from dying.

And I remembered exactly who'd made him promise that.

Koji. If I could find the words to describe what he meant to me, they would've flooded my mind. But there was no way that I could explain our connection. It was more than just a crush, that was almost humorous it was so obvious. It was more than the fact that our Elements were connected, that light made the moon what it was, that light made the moon beautiful, holy, righteous.

He'd been there for me since the beginning of all of this, since that fateful day that I smacked into him in the train station while trying to get to the Digital World, a decision that would change both of our lives in more ways than what we could've possibly imagined. He'd suffered Gigasmon's attacks with me, cried with me when WereGarumon died, held me all the nights that my nightmares got the best of me, kept my hand in his whenever I wanted to fight like the insane freak of nature that I was, he'd risked his life to save mine more times than I could count, just as I'd done for him.

Koji had believed in me, believed in my ability to best the darkness that had settled over my heart, and had helped me fight it when it unexpectedly became too much for me to handle alone. He'd promised that I would never be alone. That he would keep me close to him and never let me be alone. Yet after all that he'd done for me and all we'd been through together, I'd shattered everything in hopes of becoming strong enough to protect him one day. Hoping that maybe while I was chasing foolish dreams, he'd see that we shouldn't have been together at all, and that he deserved so much more than what I'd be able to give him.

I had to make it through this. I had to tell him that he deserved much better than me. I had to tell all of them that.

My eyes focused on Raveamon again, the weakening Spirit who was still trying to get me away from her, though I didn't budge one inch despite all the effort she was exerting. I could see it in her face now, the realization that I was too strong for her to defeat alone. It hit her like a brick wall, but she didn't want to give in. She was just like me, being far too stubborn to admit defeat even when everything was against her.

Recalling then that I was supposed to give her some kind of an answer and not leave her hanging like I had for the last couple of minutes, I let out a deep sigh and allowed myself to explain something I wasn't even sure about. "Before I came to this world, I was alone. I tried to hide my own pain by protecting other kids, like Rio, at the old orphanage from feeling hurt like I did. I remember telling him something along the lines of, 'When you have no one, you protect everyone'. But now, I see that I was wrong; that's not what I was really trying to do.

"By protecting the people around me during that time, after I thought that my whole family had died, I was trying to keep my mind off of my inner turmoil. I was trying to protect myself by guarding others. But now that I've realized what really happened and why, my eyes were opened to what I had: I had a new family that had accepted me—the Legendary Warriors, my best friends. I still had my Spirits, which will always be a part of me. Even you, Raveamon.

"And now, I know that I didn't lose my real family—at least, not everyone. You thought that by taking my brother from me, I'd become weaker. You were wrong. You thought that telling me about my sister, Zoe, that I'd be too torn up to fight. But you guessed wrong there too. Your sad attempts to make me fall have only made me rise to the new challenge Raveamon. You made me stronger. And now…

"You're way out of my league." She gasped at my words, her eyes losing their focus on my sword for the briefest of moments to look up at me with shock. But it was a mistake to do so. I yanked my sword-wielding hand away from her, tearing the blade from between her hands, and swatted her away, the back of my solid fist hitting her hard and sending her flying.

The black-armored raven thudded onto the ground a couple hundred meters from me, but it was barely any distance at all to me. I could run like lightning in this body, though it was hard to control at times, especially when I still had next to no idea regarding all that it could do. But now wasn't the time to be fretting about what _might _happen. I had to keep my mind fixed upon what _was_ happening.

Rushing after Raveamon, my eyes trained on her as she struggled to rise to her feet, having seen my impending approach, I clenched my hands into fists at my sides, the grenades automatically appearing. I tossed them both at her, the army-green explosives soaring through the air with about the same quickness with which every single one of my movements acted. One taloned hand swung out and hit the first grenade away before it could hurt her, but the second one exploded before she could react, the outburst setting fire to one of her brilliant black wings and burning her face and body.

Struggling out of the smoke that blinded her, Raveamon snarled at me and shot another couple of smaller Stellar Shadow energy balls at me. A few of them made contact, but they weren't as strong as I would've expected them to be. _Maybe she's getting careless. Or she's starting to weaken, like before when I was talking about who she really was. _My thoughts were unsure of themselves, but they drove me onward.

I'd been right all along: There was a chance for Raveamon. I just had to keep fighting.

I closed the distance between us, sword hand extended, ready to come down on her like before. She sensed the familiarity and recreated the pose by hurrying to get both hands above her head and trap the blade between them. Her muscles quivered and her body trembled as she tried to best me, pouring all of her strength into trying to shove me away, but it was impossible. And I could sense that she was starting to accept that this might be her last battle.

But her death was not my plan. It had been something that had crossed my mind, but when I really thought about it, dissecting myself and my mind—not to mention my heart—I knew that I wouldn't be able to destroy her no matter how badly she deserved it. In my mind, it would be like killing an innocent soul. Destroying the Digital World itself. Watching WereGarumon die all over again.

_Okay, I'm only going to give this one shot. Shitsurenmon, I'm going to need you to walk me through this 'cause I have no idea what I'm doing. If you can hear me at all right now. _I took a deep breath, searching for Shitsurenmon's presence within me before I did anything else. It took a moment or two, but soon an overwhelming calm settled over me, and I felt ready to take on anything. I could do this. I had to, and I was going to be able to as long as Shitsurenmon was with me.

I closed my eyes as I tried to focus, attempting to harness every single ounce of power that this body held within its cells. Every single surge of my nervous system, every beat of this heart, each pounding that it made was like thunder to me, Shitsurenmon's strength coursing through my veins like fire, like lightning. I could feel everything around me: the sweet, icy wind flowing through the dark night, blowing dirt up around the both of us, the little bit of light shining off steel gazes, the static in the air from the heavy tension, the ground surging with excitement beneath us, quivering like the fire as it was licked away by water.

I felt the ten elements of the Legendary Warriors; they were here with me, lending me their power. And they would not let me down, nor would I them.

Ten small clicking noises took me off-guard briefly, but I calmed myself again when I realized that it had only been the Post It note-sized hatches almost randomly distributed on my armor opening. _"Toshiku. You're ready. Go." _Shitsurenmon's voice came through to my mind steady and serene, calm and sweet like the Digital World had once been. Like how it would be again. _All right. Here goes abso-freaking-lutely nothing._

My pale cerulean eyes snapped open as a strange pressure started to build inside me, concentrated mainly around the dollar-sized holes in my armor. Raveamon had obviously noticed—I could see her eyes watching me—but she was too preoccupied with the sword that still hung over her head to make any sort of remark or protest. Besides, she couldn't have done anything to stop me now if she tried.

"Apocalypse Spin!" Discarding my sword, I felt the force within me become too strong to control anymore, and I swung one long arm at Raveamon, trapping her as I tore into an incredibly fast twirl. As soon as the rotation had begun, the power that had been so concentrated before was released through the hatches, coming out in the form of the ten elements themselves, each one merging with the other to create an impenetrable, inescapable tornado of Fire and Water, Darkness and Light, Earth and Steel, Wood and Wind, Ice and Thunder.

It surged around the two of us, roaring and hissing and shrieking as the elements strained against each other, in perfect harmony yet wanting desperately to flee from their opposites. I could feel them brushing against me at times, but they did next to no damage to me. I couldn't say the same for Raveamon though, though it was hard to be certain exactly what was happening to her, the attack having blinded me to everything but the elements themselves.

The offensive move broke off rather abruptly, the trap doors closing and the elements fading into the air around us as we both dropped back to the ground, the tornado having pulled us up off the ground a couple of yards. I landed on my feet with the grace of a gymnast, but the moment that my feet hit the dirt again, I dropped to my knees and was forced to de-digivolve. Panting through an aching throat and burning lungs, I caught myself feeling lucky. For what, I wasn't sure. But it was a nice change of pace.

Raising my head slowly to scan the area for Raveamon, I saw her laying a few meters away from me. It hurt me to see her so battered, her wings torn and singed in many places, parts of her body burned raw and cut up, her face bruised and bloody. But she was alive, and I supposed that that was the important thing. Despite the fact that being alive enabled her to feel all this pain.

As I was about to stand, I found myself staring down at the ground, where I saw something that astonished me: the Verre collar, just as it had been the last time that I'd had it. I'd lost it after leaving that bright white place where I'd met with Shitsurenmon, but I had figured that Raveamon had taken it with her. Yet, here it was. Somehow, I'd had it with me all along, locked away inside that body. _Hm. Weird._

I offered the notion no more thought and picked up the collar, replacing it on my neck where it belonged. It felt tight against my skin, rough, like it had the very first time that I'd put it on. I could remember Seraphimon talking to me about the Verres, hear his deep voice as he told me to never forget about my family, about who I was. About my past. _I'm sorry for how I used to be, Seraphimon. But you were right. I did change. I have. _

I dragged myself onto weak feet, my knees threatening to give out on me as I stumbled over to Raveamon's twitching form. Dropping back to the ground a mere foot away from her, I reached out confidently, certain that I had no reason to fear her, and gently touched her bruised, pallid cheek. The injury throbbed and her skin was colder than any ice that I'd ever come into contact with. Surprise at the feel almost made me flinch away. But I couldn't bring myself to take my warm hand away when she was this cold, though I wasn't sure if she actually _felt_ the chill or not.

Red, bloodshot eyes opened reluctantly and stared at me; Raveamon's face contorted in a grimace of pain at even the smallest of actions. The stubborn warrior strived to rise, but her eyes went wide with pain and her mouth opened in a silent scream before collapsing again, her body curling into itself as she tried to calm the throbbing. Her eyes never left mine throughout the whole ordeal.

I couldn't stop a feeling of guilt before it washed over me; I was the reason that she felt this way, suffered through this much agony. But I would also be the one to make it all go away. Stroking her cheek gently, my voice flowed from my throat as hushed and serene as the wind, each note soothing and precise, like a sort of lullaby, " If I could find assurance to leave you behind, I know my better half would fade. And all my doubt is a staircase for you, opened out of this space. The first step is the one you believe in, the second one might be profound…

" I'll follow you down through the eye of the storm. Don't worry, I'll keep you warm. I'll follow you down while we're passing through space. I don't care if we fall from grace. I'll follow you down.

" You can have the money and the world, the angels and the pearls, even trademark the color blue. Just like the tower we never built, in the shadow of all the guilt, while the other hand was pointing at you, yeah the first step is the one you believe in, the second one might be profound…

" I'll follow you down through the eye of the storm. Don't worry, I'll keep you warm. I'll follow you down while we're passing through space. I don't care if we fall from grace. I'll follow you down to where forever lies! Without a doubt, I'm on your side—there's nowhere else I'd rather be! I'm not about to compromise, give you up or say 'good-bye'. I'll guide you through the deep, keep you close to me!

" I'll follow you down through the eye of the storm. Don't worry, I'll keep you warm. I'll follow you down while we're passing through space. I don't care if we fall from grace. I'll follow you down…

" If I could find assurance to leave you behind, I know my better half would fade…I'll follow you down… " As the final word slipped from my lips, I was blinded by the bright blue light of Raveamon's data as the single band was pulled from its hiding place. It looked no different from any other Digimon's data, though I wasn't sure why I thought that it might. Maybe because she'd been part of a human for so long—how she was _still_ part of me.

Pulling my new D-Tector from my belt loop, I took a deep breath and let it out through my nose. I never thought that I would really get this chance, that I would ever be able to say to Raveamon, "It's going to be all right, Raveamon, you'll see. I can help you remember who you are." The words didn't feel real to me as they passed my lips, rolled off of my tongue and became another disturbance in the atmosphere. The movements I made as my D-Tector began to purify her data felt unreal, impossible.

But, apparently having heard me mention the word 'impossible', Cherubimon decided to prove me right.

A black smog rose up from the ground around the two of us, swallowing Raveamon in darkness so that I could no longer see her or her data. Another haze settled around me, though I noticed that it looked a little different than the one that had consumed Raveamon. I realized why quite quickly, namely at the point when red-tinted static shot from the dark fog and into me, sending me reeling through intense pain instantly.

Dropping to the ground like a dead fly, I let out a hoarse cry as the electricity burned my skin and body just like flames would've. But I wasn't sure what really pained me more: Cherubimon's unprecedented surprise-attack, or the fact that I'd been unable to purify Raveamon's soul despite how close I'd come. It was hard to pick between the two of them, and in the end, I left it as a tie.

Both sensations ravaged my body until I didn't even possess enough strength to keep myself upright in my kneeling position. I dropped onto my side on the ground, my muscles spasming violently while I tried to control the screams of agony that threatened to tear their way out of my throat. I kept my jaw clenched tightly to prevent them from coming out, though a few whimpers and groans were able to leak through my resolve.

"Your pain, Toshiku, it's always been so beautiful—darkness in its truest form. I could watch you suffer for an eternity, if only you wouldn't die before my fun was over," As suddenly as it had come, the smog and its red-hot static was gone, leaving me to try and get a hold of myself while I lay curled around myself in the dirt. It was so nice and cold against my burning flesh, though it stung my open sores and exposed burns. But still it soothed them some.

Cherubimon's dark voice, heavy with the self-appointed responsibility of steadily killing the Digital World, came back to my memory like any other battle scene would've. I chanced a glance up to where his words had come from, and I saw that though he was not physically here, I could just barely make out his shape, his bright red eyes, in the cloud of darkness above me. Raveamon was hovering, clearly unconscious, in a cloud of concentrated black fog in front of him.

I'd never fought this great Digimon in the flesh, but if he thought that he was going to steal Raveamon away from me again, I would change that in a hurry.

The demon's voice echoed through the wind as he called out to me again, and I shuddered at the intensity of the darkness within him, for it was so thick and black that one could shroud himself in it and never be found, nor find a way back out, "It's really a pity that you've refused me for so long. You would've prospered so well before—I sense so much potential in you. So much power…

"You would've been so happy before, if you'd joined me—you wouldn't have had to suffer through all of that which you've already suffered. It's a sad fact, really, Toshiku: All that pain was so completely unnecessary, or at least it would've been had you agreed to follow me and abandon those good-for-nothing Warriors once and for all. All that time you spent on them…a complete waste of your abilities.

"But I'm prepared to give you one. Last. Chance. If you give up your allegiance to those poor excuses for Legendary Warriors, repent of your loyalty to them, cleanse yourself of their stench in the darkness of this world, and join me like you were always destined to, I'll wipe your slate clean. Give you a fresh start in my new world. It will be as if your life with _them_ never even happened.

"You'll be with your Human Spirit, you'll be with your precious brother again, I'll even help you bring back your beloved mother and father. I'll give you all the power in the world—anything and everything you could ever want will be yours. You will be feared, respected, and loved immeasurably by all, and you will rule them with an iron fist of justice and malice. Just imagine what you could be if you were to abandon your Sentinel name and become Toshiku Yumari, Dictator of the Digital World.

"Now, choose, my perfect child of darkness. Who will you serve?" The dark purple skin of Cherubimon's face contorted in the most gruesome way as he grinned down at me, his shadow-shrouded arms opening to receive me. In front of him, of either side of his chest, Raveamon and Daijiro's unconscious forms appeared, both of them held in place by thick, rope-like smoke that wrapped around their wrists, waists, and ankles. They didn't appear to be in any pain, but I couldn't help but wonder what Cherubimon might do if provoked.

But I had no choice in a matter such as this. How could I abandon my life as a Sentinel, as a protector and guide for the Legendary Warriors? I'd been called by Ophanimon to come to this world and make something of myself, and I planned to live up to that immense honor, show responsibility and take my place among my brothers and sisters of the Digital World. This…this was not something I could choose to leave behind.

I could not pretend that this wasn't my destiny. To be part of the Digital World, to be on the side of the light, the side that fought against the evil in the darkness and did what they could to bring peace and harmony back to this world. It was deserving of a break in this war, a golden age in which everyone had what they needed, and no one need hide from the menaces threatening them from their hiding places in the tainted shadows.

It had always been in my blood to defend the innocent, to keep the weaker beings safe from the arrogant, cruel fists of the strong when they wished harm upon the defenseless. Bullies made me sick, they held no place in my heart apart from owning every ounce of hatred I allowed myself to feel. If they were going to hurt someone who'd never be able to hurt them, then I would throw everything right back in their face. Every cold word, every punch, everything.

But that was the old me, the person who would act without thinking even a little beforehand. Of course, I still felt that it was completely necessary to defend the defenseless against those who threatened them—that part of me would never change. However, now I knew that there was good in everyone, and that there had to be something beneath a person's skin to cause the evil. Everyone had potential when faced with the light.

Even Cherubimon.

Such a thought was new to me and it boggled my mind that it had even presented itself, but now wasn't the time to be going over my enemies' profiles. Besides, there was no way that I'd be able to purify Cherubimon by myself; I'd need the Legendary Warriors help for that job—that is, if they believed me when I said that there was still a touch of goodness in him. I almost smiled to myself, imagining their reactions to that kind of a news flash. They would think I'd gone crazy. Or, well, crazi_er_, anyway.

A small sigh slipped through my lips before I struggled to my feet, my face contorting into a grimace of pain when I finally straightened up. I felt the weight of my D-Tector at my side and the warm embrace of the Verre collar around my neck; it all seemed so right to me. I never had felt like I belonged in the human world, and now I knew why. It wasn't my true home—my calling did not come from its horizon, nor my fate from its skies. I belonged here in the Digital World. This was my home.

"I won't join you, Cherubimon," My tone came out so strongly, so valiantly and warrior-like…I barely recognized it to be my own voice. "I cannot help you destroy the only world that accepts me for who I am and won't ask me to change to fit into its society. The people here love me for me, and there's nothing more in the universe that I could want. And, just so you know, if you continue to oppose me and my friends, and threaten this world, we're going to mess you up good."

My resolve faded away rather slowly and my blank face was corrupted by a brilliant little grin, an expression I barely recalled the feel of. "You've seen my new friend, Cherubimon, and I know you know quite a lot about little Miss Shitsurenmon. You know how she's one of the only Digimon not part of the Ten to stand up to Lucemon and still be able to walk away. Now," I cracked my knuckles in a very suggestive manner, that confident smirk still happy to be back. "Are you gonna let them go, or is our game going to start up about now?"

The minutely arrogant grin twitched and started to fade as the evil Digimon's dark chortle filled the air, drenching my ears in malice and violence. I hated his laugh; I just couldn't shake the nightmarish feel that it was saturated in. "Our game won't come till later, Toshiku; you don't have a full team yet, and that just wouldn't be fair for you, now would it? But I will let one of them go. Only. One." He held his hands out, one hovering near Daijiro's still form, and the other by Raveamon's.

All the power that I'd felt surging within me only moments ago was now nowhere to be found. My hands dropped back down to my sides, my fingers feeling as numb as the rest of me was. _Only. One._ "What…? What the hell is that supposed to mean, you psychotic, overgrown rabbit? What do you mean by…" My voice trailed off without my permission, my mind already piecing together exactly what Cherubimon wanted me to do.

Another cursed lump locked itself in my throat as Cherubimon's deep, rough tone penetrated my ear drums like a razor blade, "I know all too well how you feel for both of these beings—you've made it abundantly clear on multiple occasions. So, I thought that it would be fun for you to decide which one you love the most: Your precious, long-lost brother, or your deluded, lost lamb of a Human Spirit.

"Whichever one you choose will be set free—no catch, no trap, nothing to fear. They will go with you, completely unharmed and without one trace of my evil seed in their body. But the one that you do not pick…" He trailed off intentionally, a smile that had been very similar to my triumphant grin now plastered upon his large, dark blue lips. His sadistic mind wanted me to suffer, wanted to make me think up all kinds of horrible endings for the person I didn't pick.

I felt my fingers begin to tremble, the shaking spreading throughout my body within a matter of moments until it would've been clear to anyone—had anyone else been there with me. _I can't pick…I need to save them both…I need to fight Cherubimon, but… _"You can't do this, Cherubimon…You can't make me decide who lives and who dies!" I shouted over the whisper of a soft breeze; it tried to comfort me, calm my fear and sorrow and anger, but it failed.

"Who said that the soul not chosen would die?" Cherubimon's tone was light and almost joking, like he thought that I was funny to be getting this worked up over the situation. But he wasn't the one whose entire world was being threatened here. "But if you refuse to pick…" His giant hands moved closer to the two of them, his wretched fingers beginning to close around them slowly, tainting them with his rancid touch. "Then they will share the same fate—"

_No! I can't lose them both! No, not when I'm this close! _My thoughts howled in pain and absolute terror as I screamed, my fear causing my words to catch in my throat and shudder as if frozen, "No! Cherubimon, please, stop! I'll choose, all right? I'll choose, but give me time to think! Please, Cherubimon!" I could feel the sting of hot tears tracing the corners of my eyes, and I hated that that _rokudenashi_ now had the opportunity to see me crumble. All because of him.

A broad, triumphant smile seeped onto his face like the blood of some wound leaking through its bandages. His hands remained where they were, fingers ready to grasp the poor being who I didn't choose to save. "You have one minute. I'll count for you," He chuckled as he watched me struggle to think, strive to fight away my tears, clear my mind so I could think. I knew he was only giving me this time because he enjoyed seeing me in agony, a quality that most Digimon enemies seemed to possess.

It was an easy decision to make, really; I didn't need even half of the minute that he'd given me. There were two to choose from, though neither were Legendary Warriors. Both were Sentinels, one of the same element as me. They had both been objects of Cherubimon's control, pawns in his satanic game of 'Take Over the Digital World'. But one of them was more resilient than the other. One could protect herself, and didn't need me.

Raveamon could survive in the dark. There was even a small chance that she could best Cherubimon if she ever put her mind to it. She was partnered with Duskmon; cared for him much more than what Cherubimon may've anticipated…Duskmon wouldn't prove lethal to her. No enemy I could conjure up would be too much for her to handle; I, as Shitsurenmon, was the first to defeat her. No one would ever be able to do it again. She would live, even if Cherubimon tried to end her.

With a shaking voice, heavy laden with sorrow and hurt, I dropped my head to stare at the ground as I whispered almost inaudibly, "I…Daijiro…Let him go…" I gulped back my depression and blinked away my tears. I'd waited so long to save the both of them, and here I was, giving one up, but winning the other. I had to look on the positive side, for Daijiro's sake. I had to look after him now. He was coming back to me now.

"You poor child," Cherubimon cooed mockingly, the shadows that bound my brother beginning to fade from him to join those around Raveamon. "Giving up your beloved Spirit for the last of your family…" He chuckled lightly, the sound driving rage through my veins. "I bet it hurts, doesn't it? Knowing that you'll never see her again." And with that, Cherubimon took his hand away from Daijiro, closed both of them gently around Raveamon's motionless, sleeping form, and they disappeared.

I didn't have much time to focus on the fact that Raveamon was gone and I now had no idea where to look for her. Without the braces of shadow to hold him up, Daijiro had begun to fall, and his human body was too frail to hit the ground from such a long fall. I had to sprint forward as fast as I could get my battered body to move, then dove with both arms outstretched before me.

I caught Daijiro a foot or so above the ground, one hand protecting the back of his head and the other bracing against his lower back, trying to maintain control of his limp body so he wouldn't be injured. I hit the rocky ground rather hard myself, the shock of it snapping my eyes closed since I was unable to soften the impact with my hands, but they were involved with a far more important task right now. My pain mattered very little to my mind right now.

I laid there still for a moment, attempting to collect myself enough to open my eyes and see the boy laying in my arms. My fingers trembled along with the rest of me, terrified and overjoyed to feel the warmth of another person, especially this person. My brother was alive; I could feel his lungs gently expanding and contracting as he breathed in and out. He really was just asleep.

Although I wanted to believe that this was some kind of dream and that there was absolutely no way that this could be real, I opened my eyes slowly, ready to see that it had all been in my imagination and find no one with me. But when I looked, he was there. Alive, with a faint smile adorning his lips as he slept peacefully. It almost made me laugh, and I would've if I hadn't been so afraid he might awaken.

I inched myself onto my knees, holding Daijiro as one should a holy being—a sinless, righteous child. I shouldn't have even been touching him at all; my bloody, evil, tainted skin would only taint him as well, just like it had before. "But I'll make it right," I whispered, trying to calm myself as much as convince Daijiro he was no longer alone, that he was safe. "You'll see, Dai, I'll make it up to you. I promise I will.

"But for now, just…just…please rest. You don't have to hide from anyone anymore; I'll never let them touch you again."

* * *

**Well, there you have it, everybody! Daijiro's back, and the both of them have a half-sister they never knew about: Zoe! If anybody saw that coming, then you're a mind reader XD**

**The song that Toshiku sang to Raveamon is I'll Follow You by Shinedown, an awesome song that I've been listening to pretty much non-stop. **

**Thank you for reading, and please let me now what you thought of the chapter! I would really appreciate it (and I'd love to know how shocked you guys are about the whole sister thing XD).**


	30. Chapter 28: Return To Me

**Yay! Another chapter of Frontier is done and out of the way :) I've been having a lot of issues focusing on my writing lately, and with school coming up again pretty fast, I've been trying to get out of that habit, so I decided that writing in this was much more important than finding breakfast, and this is what became of that decision: A new chapter! **

**All right, quick update on my newest addiction, which I'm sure a fair amount of you will probably be like 'Seriously?' at: I am totally loving Digimon Savers/Data Squad right now. I got it along with all the other Digimon seasons in this package, and I watched it with my best bud, and I was so thrilled. I understand why people don't like it, but holy crap I really like it. So, I got to thinking, and now I've got an OC, an obsession with Marcus Damon (oops lol), and a pretty awesome plot. I'm so gonna write a Savers fic. **

**So, yeah lol. If you guys are interested, I'll answer questions, otherwise I'll probably start posting it sometime soon, so keep an eye out for it. I'd love to have more people get into Savers, so if you haven't seen the season yet, don't knock it till you try it. It's a little sketchy at first, but you gotta give it a chance to shine. 'Cause holy goodness does it shine XD**

**Okie enough of my babbling, please enjoy this chapter! (the Frontier gang is back now! Yay!)**

* * *

Chapter 28: Return to Me

I wasn't sure how long I'd been sitting there cross-legged, watching over my little brother as he slept. I feared what he might think when he woke, so I chose to sit a yard away from him rather than hold him like I really wanted to. My mind was still unconvinced that he was real; it needed the proof that only the weight and heat of his body could give me. My soul needed to be reminded constantly that he was without injury, that he was perfectly alive. But I was afraid to be near him at the same time.

My eyes had scanned over him time after time after time, just making sure that his bones were all intact, that there was no bleeding, no serious harm done. He had scars, a little bruising here and there, but both were expected when you were in this world. I was glad that he'd been strong enough to be able to keep from too much damage; maybe his Spirits had been more powerful than I'd thought and had found a way to take the pain that should've been sent to his frail human body.

I wasn't sure how it happened, but I didn't really care. The important thing was that he was all right, for the most part, and he was safe now. Away from that _rokudenashi_ Cherubimon. I snarled internally at the recollection of that voice, that name, and that wretched face grinning at me while he stole away the last piece to my life-puzzle, the last drop of blood that sustained my heart and its rhythmic beat.

I wanted to hate Cherubimon for taking Raveamon away from me like he had—I couldn't remember meeting anyone as cruel as this. I didn't want to believe that he'd really forced me to decide which was more important to me: Daijiro, or Raveamon. But I couldn't hate him; he was good inside, I could sense it like I could sense that the Legendary Warriors were still all alive, still reasonably safe. I just didn't know how to make that part of him re-surface.

_Why am I fretting over Cherubimon? I should be trying to think of where the hell he might've taken Raveamon so I can—_I stopped my thoughts right there. I didn't want to think about Raveamon now, or ever again. It hurt too much to know that there was a chance I'd never save her from the darkness in her tortured heart. There was no possible way that I could go after them now anyways since I had Daijiro to think about now.

I couldn't be irresponsible and idiotic now that I had him back. I couldn't leave him here unprotected and confused while I went on a wild goose chase all over the Digital World, hunting and tracking and tracing fake trails. Besides, even if I were to find the Legendary Warriors and leave him with them, he didn't know them and he probably wouldn't remember where he was when he woke up. He needed someone he knew.

He needed me.

And I had to be there for him if I was ever going to make things right. There was no way in hell that he would be able to forgive me, no way in the world that he'd love me again, but maybe he wouldn't hate me if I tried hard enough. He didn't have to love me, but I wanted him to know that I would never stop loving him, and that I'd do anything to make him happy, make him see how sorry that I was.

I physically shook my head, attempting to chase those haunting thoughts from my head. To try and re-occupy my mind, I went back to analyzing every single thing about Daijiro's appearance, comparing it to what I could remember. He was older now; despite being in the Digital World for much of his life, he'd still aged. He was about nine or so, give or take a year—about Tommy's age, maybe a bit older.

His hair was black like mine, though his was slightly curly, wrapping around his ears and framing his face like an angel's might. The color of it seemed much darker than mine somehow, like it had been taken from the darkest of nightfalls and made into soft, flawless silk. Mine, on the other hand, was as ruthless as I was, and just as unruly and stubborn. It was sort of soft, I suppose, but not completely and utterly beautiful like Daijiro's. But I didn't care enough to be jealous. I loved him too much to be that way.

I watched with quiet, mystified horror as Daijiro's eyes began to open, a hand covering my mouth to keep him from seeing my bottom lip trembling. It had been _so long_ since I'd seen his face in more than just my nightmares and faint memories. I couldn't believe this was happening, I just couldn't trust my eyes this time. This could not possibly be right. And yet here he was, looking around slowly, trying to re-boot his brain.

The bright green of his eyes put the beautiful forests of the Digital World to shame. Every emerald, every jade, every gem that dared to call itself a shade of green, all of them would envy such a brilliant, blinding hue. They were the picture of innocence compared to mine, seeing how his had seen far less pain and heartache than mine. _He_ was the picture of innocence. My very own angel.

And I'd hurt him.

No matter how many times I tried to stop thinking about it, my mind refused to give me a moment of peace. Then again, the constant thought brought about a new thing to worry about: How the hell was I supposed to apologize, exactly? What? Was I supposed to say, 'Hey, I'm sorry that I made your life a living hell and thought you were dead for these last few years. Sorry, bro'? There was no good way for me to do this!

"…I can't do this…" I mumbled pitifully to myself as I let my head drop into my hands, muttering obscenities mixed with wonderings that worried me. Half the time I wasn't even sure what I was saying, and it didn't really help to get it out into the open anyway. But I couldn't let the space between Daijiro and I fill up with silence; silence was bad, silence gave birth to conversation, and conversation would show me just how much he hated me—

"Are you okay?" My head snapped up as if a gunshot had gone off right next to my head, my eyes wide with both fear, though hidden, it was there, and awe. Daijiro's eyes were focused now, perfectly clear except for a touch of sleepiness, which could be expected, obviously. But the amazing thing…those eyes were looking at me with concern. He was asking _me_ if_ I_ was all right!

I gave a slightly bitter laugh as he began to sit up, shaking my head at his perfection. There was no way around his loathing of me, and yet here he was, doing the right thing by still being kind. What a great kid. "I should be asking you that," The half-smile faded from my face when I noticed him take on a grimace of pain, his hand flying instantly to his left arm. I couldn't see exactly what the issue was thanks to the long-sleeved, mahogany shirt he wore, but I could assume. "You're hurt?"

"Oh, it's nothing, really—" _He sounds like my sibling, all right. _"—it's just a little…" He paused when he pulled up the too-long sleeves, baring a deep, shiny red gash that was beginning to ooze. It looked reasonably fresh. "…Well, it's little if you think about what it _could_ be." I stared at him for a moment, watching as a bright, sheepish grin appeared on his face as he giggled, seeming almost…delighted.

But why? It was obvious that that wound stung very badly, and I knew that Daijiro was no masochist. Perhaps he hadn't laughed in a long time and it was nice to let it out whenever he could; I could understand that. Maybe he was trying to lighten the already fairly tense and heavy mood. There was only one thing it could not possibly be: He could not be happy to be with me again.

Shaking that depressing thought from my mind, I attempted to rid myself of my sudden fear of closeness as I rose to my knees and started to come over to where Daijiro sat. "Here," I said tenderly as I tore a small section away from my white sleeve. Tying it around his arm, I did my best to be gentle and careful, tried hard to keep from hurting him. "This should keep it from opening up again until I can get you a real bandage." I sat down a few feet from him, closer than I had been before, but still giving him his space.

"Thank you, KuKu," Daijiro cast me that immobilizing smile of his, the beauty of it sending me on so many guilt trips that it was hard to decide which one to pay attention to. "That feels a lot better now! But…" His smile faded as he looked me over, apparently noting all of my injuries. "But what about you? You're all…blue and black and yellow and purple and red…"

I glanced down at myself, snickering when I realized he was naming off the colors of my bruises and cuts. "Yeah, I'm used to my battle scars by now. When you're a Sentinel, you tend to get used to this kind of thing." Looking down at my hands and every other spot of bare skin, I saw that I could recall each battle and each enemy that had given me these wounds, all these permanent markings of my destiny.

_This is his destiny, too…_My skin froze over as if a blizzard had blown over me, as if KorIkkakumon's snowy breath had danced upon my flesh. Daijiro was a Sentinel, just like me. If all this had happened to me while I was still learning…would Daijiro have to suffer as well? Protecting the Legendary Warriors was a full-time job, and I barely got any opportunities to sleep or really even rest. Daijiro was so young, though, I couldn't let him face all of this fighting and bloodshed!

_But he won't be, Toshiku. He has you to show him how it's done. _"…Sentinels…I'm one of them, right?" I was pulled from my plans on how to teach Daijiro what he needed to know without forcing him through anything unnecessary when he began to speak again. His eyes were closed as he thought back to a life he no longer had to hurt because of. "I remember…Cherubimon talked to me about that. He said they were pathetic, spineless fools that had no idea what they were doing. But that's not true. It can't be if you're one of them."

To say that that didn't make my throat tight would be one of the biggest lies in the world.

It was a tad surprising to me that Daijiro remembered the demonic Celestial's words so clearly. The only reason I could think of for it to come so easily to him would be that perhaps that conversation had been burned into his memory by the fires of rage. A righteous rage that knew that what Cherubimon said also insulted him. Vigomon was the Sentinel of Life, and he knew we were not wasting ours by living for the Legendary Warriors. Our friends and family.

It was time Daijiro learn about us. "No, Daijiro, you're right. He was lying to you, but I'll tell you all the truths that he hid from you for so long," I took a deep breath and let it out slow. I hoped that Daijiro could keep up easily enough; there was a lot that he had to know, and we didn't have much time to go over all of it in complete clarity. "You are not just Daijiro Yumari, and I am not just Toshiku Yumari. You are Daijiro Yumari, Sentinel of Life, and I am Toshiku Yumari, Sentinel of Moon. We are different from regular people, Dai. We've always been.

"There are others like us—five other Sentinels. I don't know a lot about them to be perfectly honest, but Mom and Dad were Sentinels, too. Maybe it's passed down from parent to child or something…I don't know. But anyway, as Sentinels, we have special…obligations that we have to comply with. One of them is that we are the peacemakers of the Digital World; we get this freaky…I don't know, _sense_ when something is wrong, and there's a part of us that can't leave it for someone else to take care of because…well, I guess because it's our duty.

"We take care of everyone who needs our help, even if it's the last thing that they want. Our main priority, over everyone in the universe, are the ten Legendary Warriors. I don't know how it came to be, but somehow the Seven Sentinels were 'assigned' with the job of guarding them and now here we are, in the Digital World, keeping them from doing something stupid. Of course, it would help to be with them right now…but I had some…unfinished business to attend to.

"The last time I saw the Warriors…they were safe enough, I suppose, but…they're going to need the both of us if they're going to be able to save the Digital World. I was barely able to keep them together on my own, but if you're willing…I mean, you don't have to. I won't force you to if you don't want to, and I can understand why you—"

"I'm a Sentinel, sis," He interrupted, an apologetic glance skirting across his face when he did. I stared at him with a touch of astonishment as he took on the full suit of armor that being a Sentinel was. "And I'll stand by you, too, no matter what. But I do have one question…" The new Sentinel of Life dug in his pocket for a moment, needing to push back his too-long sleeve in order to see what he was doing. A moment later, he pulled out a very familiar device. "What's this?"

He held out the D-Tector to me so I could get a closer look, but it was an unnecessary gesture. I would be able to make out the form of one of them from over a mile away; it was too common in my mind for me to miss it. His was a bold red and translucent white, reminding me instantly of a candy cane. I thought that it matched his element quite well, seeing how the white of the candy resembled life, and the red imperfection, and when it was licked away, it left only that holy life.

I unclipped mine from my belt and handed it to him, allowing him to compare them. As he looked at the two of them with awe, I explained in a slightly monotone voice, "Those are called D-Tectors. I got my first one when I first came here on a Trailmon—which is sort of a living train, I guess; you'll meet one later—but it was broken a while back, and the one you're holding now I've only had for maybe…a day.

"They're very, very important because they hold the Spirits that you can evolve into. You generally have two kinds of Spirits: Human and Beast. The Legendary Warriors all have them, I…have a Beast and a more…advanced evolution. Yours are Vigomon and Kanimamon, both of which are still Sentinels even though—"

"…Are they good guys or bad guys?" I made a surprised little 'huh?' noise at his question, but was silenced into solemnity when I saw the look he was giving his D-Tector. He held it in both his hand, having already handed mine back to me, and gazed sadly down at it as if he feared what might be in it and was preparing to be disappointed to learn that he was not completely free of Cherubimon's evil grasp yet. The poor boy had to be so afraid of him, and probably upset about how he'd been used as a puppet to do evil deeds.

Another part of me wondered, however, if this was somehow connected to Raveamon. It hurt to think of her name, but I had to consider the fact that he had met her and he did know about how she and I had been cast away from each other. Did he think that the same thing would happen between him and his Spirits? He had no idea what a true Spirit-and-human bond was supposed to be like, so I really shouldn't be that astounded, though.

"They're good guys, Daijiro," I replied quietly, my voice becoming soft and tender like a sister's should be when she's comforting her brother. My once solid tone turned to absolute mush as I added gently, "And you are, too." I knew what it felt like to put yourself down for things that you'd done but were unable to go back and change, wounds that you didn't know how to apologize for giving. Hell, I was still trying to figure that out right now. But Daijiro had to know that I held nothing against him.

Daijiro looked up from his D-Tector and smiled sweetly at me, his eyes now much calmer than they'd been before. He hadn't forgiven himself yet, but he was close enough to it that I didn't need to worry too much about him. It was easier for him to look at the fact that he had been under the control of someone else and accept that it wasn't something he could control or change than it had been for me. Then again, he'd been under the influence of a true enemy, while I'd been—

I got to my feet quickly; I was _not_ going to think about that right now. There was no way that I'd be able to keep my composure if I thought about her right now, and me having a breakdown was not something that Daijiro needed to see. To be honest, that was something that absolutely, positively nobody should ever have to see, or should ever be _allowed_ to see. If it looked even half as bad as it felt, then that was one horrible sight.

Daijiro gave me a strange look for the sudden jump up, but I pretended that he hadn't as I explained my actions rapidly, "I'm thinking too much—making myself sick worrying about the Legendary Warriors. I've left them alone for a long time now, and I think that it's finally time that I go back. And have them meet you, too." I allowed a touch of optimism to entertain my tone as I gestured for Dai to stand and follow me as I walked around and past him, heading for the glow of the Rose Morning Star.

But I paused after a few steps, and turned back to him with a newfound concern. "Can you walk, Daijiro?" I hadn't considered the thought of either of his legs being injured; when I'd looked him over before he hadn't appeared hurt, but apparently his clothes had hidden much more from me than what I'd realized. I hadn't detected that cut on his arm at all then.

However, Daijiro got to his feet with ease, albeit he was a bit shaky from not having been with his regular human body for quite some time. Nevertheless, he was adjusting to the sudden change of form with astounding quickness, and I was glad to see that the change had been relatively painless. My little brother seemed just as bright-eyed and chipper as ever, as if nothing had gone on between us that would've caused any kind of change.

The way he acted so serenely around me struck me as odd, though. I mean, if one had been beaten and hurt badly by someone that you loved, you'd think that that would definitely take some kind of toll on your trust in them, not to mention the entire relationship that you once shared. And yet here he was, pretending that I'd never even raised my voice when he was around.

For whatever reason, that made me nervous.

Was he not bringing it up because he wanted me to be the one to try and start the apology-conversation, or did he not even want me to try? What was he thinking beneath those fluffy black curls? His life with Cherubimon surely wouldn't have erased his memories of that time—I was almost certain that they would've been useful to the Celestial in some way. But why not make me suffer for making him hurt? Why spare me?

"Toshiku?" I glanced down at him hesitantly, wondering to myself if this was that horrid moment that I'd been having a day-mare about only seconds before. But he rid me of those fears when he pointed out ahead of us at the flower-like protrusion in the sky that appeared to be emitting a garnet glow. "What is that? Does it have something to do with the Sentinels? Or the ten Legendary Warriors?" He seemed so curious about everything; it was almost humorous, really.

My eyes lingered on his intrigued face before they turned and inspected the strange object we were walking towards. I knew very little about it, as did the Warriors, and for all we knew, it could end up being some sort of trap. But Ophanimon, one of the blessed Celestials, had been the one to tell us of it, told us specifically to go to it. And to hurry.

I remembered almost nothing from the conversation that we'd had with her so many weeks ago. I barely recalled what her voice sounded like, to be honest. But we had to go there; maybe that was the place that she'd been calling us from this whole time. Cherubimon had taken her, I was sure of that, but was that really where he held her captive? It was possible. Why else would she want us to go there?

Unless Cherubimon himself resided there. And she planned for us to fight him once we got there.

"I'm not sure, Daijiro," I answered him quietly, my brain still buzzing with scrambled thoughts and random words like a swarm of angry hornets. It was never silent anymore, far too much to think about. "But there's a small chance that a friend of ours, a lady named Ophanimon, is being held prisoner there, and we have to go and help her, right?" An attempt at a smile crossed my face, but it didn't feel quite right.

Little Daijiro didn't seem to notice how forced the grin was. "Of course," He told me, smiling just as brightly as ever. It was as if darkness couldn't touch him, as if he didn't know the meaning of the word 'fear' or 'malice'. It was incredible to me. "That's what friends are for—" He paused for a moment, another thought hitting him almost mid-sentence. "Toshiku, what are your friends like? The Legendary Warriors?"

I was a bit taken aback by this unexpected inquiry, a bit surprised and yet at the same time not surprised at all by the fact that he was curious about the ten. Then again, there was no telling how much time the seven of us were going to have to be spending together until we got to go back to the human world, so it could be assumed that he'd want to know all that he could about his soon-to-be friends.

A nostalgic smile tip-toed onto my face as I thought fondly of the others. We'd had our good times and our bad times, but I loved them all the same. Hell, I'd go through all of that suffering again if it meant I could be with them right now. "Well, we've got a self-proclaimed leader: Takuya Kanbara, Legendary Warrior of Flame. He's a great guy—a bit eccentric and he tends to go a little overboard sometimes, but he means well.

"Then there's JP Shibayama, who's the Legendary Warrior of Thunder. He's…well, if you ever get a craving for chocolate, he's your man. The stuff's practically dripping from his ears. JP's pretty good at magic tricks, too, but he hasn't done any for us in a while. Even so, it's fun to mess with him and he's a pretty nice guy overall.

"The Warrior of Ice is actually your age, Daijiro. His name is Tommy Himi, and I think you'll really like him. The kid's got a good head on his shoulders, and knows right from wrong better than most kids your age do. He's always trying to be the very best that he can be, but he doesn't seem to realize that he's already a great Legendary Warrior. But, like I said, I think you two will get along pretty well.

"Our wonderful Warrior of Light is Koji Minamoto. He's…heh, I don't even know what to say. Koji's just so…_Koji_. He's a great Warrior—all of them are, really—and he's so…_devoted_ to the Digital World and to the rest of us. He's helped me out of a lot of tight places, and I have no idea where any of us would be without him.

"We have two Digimon with us as well, not to mention a Digimon egg—they hatch from eggs, which you…probably figured from that part, but…now you know for sure. Anyway, their names are Bokomon and Neemon, and it's hard not to like them. Bokomon is very smart; he tells us all we need to know about this world and its inhabitants—most of the time, he's even right. And Neemon is…eccentric, if I were to put it lightly.

"Finally, we have Zoe. She's the Legendary Warrior of Wind, and probably the last of the group that I really started to get along with. Of course, it wasn't entirely her fault—mainly, if not, then all mine—since she was being mind-controlled or something (which is a whole different story that I'd rather not get into right now). Nevertheless, while I've been away on some…'business trips', I learned something about her I never would've known otherwise…

"Zoe is our half-sister," I stopped about there, allowing the onslaught of information to grab a foothold in Daijiro's probably overwhelmed mind. I knew that I'd been completely scrambled for the past couple of days, so I could barely imagine what he must be feeling. I mean, he'd just spent the last couple of years trapped in a Digimon's body under the control of Cherubimon, and now he'd been woken to the truth only hours ago, and here I was dumping the Sentinel fate on him and all this about a sister he never knew about.

But somehow…he seemed to grasp it all quite soundly. Much better than I had at the beginning of all of this. "…What's she like, Toshiku?" His hushed voice asked, downcast green eyes focused on his shoes as he walked beside me, keeping my pace with reasonable ease. "What's our sister like?" That expression, that tone…they were like a bombs blowing up in my face, except in the form of memories and agony, and not lethal weapons. Though, in a way, they felt no different. They both killed me in the end.

The pain that spread across his face told me clearly that he remembered what I'd done to him, and that he hoped Zoe wouldn't be like that. I could almost imagine his tear-stained face as I gazed down upon his bruised and beaten form, all of his injuries made with my own two hands. I could hear his cries in my ears, his sweet voice telling me every single night that he still loved me no matter who I was or what I did. I could hear my own voice scoff at the reassurance that I hadn't needed nor wanted at that time. Though, it was now an unrealistic wish.

Letting out a slow, deep sigh to calm myself and keep my throat from tightening to the point where I would be unable to speak, I thought for a moment of what I could say. A moment or two passed between us, silence being the only thing that kept the 'conversation' somewhat alive. But then I took my chances and went in without any sort of plan, "Well, I really don't know what to tell you, Daijiro.

"Zoe is a very nice girl; she's always worrying over me and the others like a hen over her chicks—but never tell her I said that, it might piss her off or offend her or something. She forgave me after I did a lot of bad things, and she understood why I had to leave when I practically abandoned my friends a couple of days ago. I hope the others knew why as well…

"She really loves the Digital World and the Digimon here, too. Once, way back at the beginning of this whole journey, we ran across a group of Gomamon—they're like seals with purple mohawks—that were unable to get back to their home on their own, and Zoe refused to go on with our mission until we got them back home. She'd even been willing to do it on her own if we wouldn't help.

"I think…I think that if there was ever a person that you would want as your half-sister, it would be Zoe Orimoto. She's one of the nicest people that I've met, especially since she's bold and unafraid in the face of our enemies as well. It's hard to find people that know how to switch back and forth between their battle-mode and their regular personality. I know that I have a lot of trouble with that sometimes…

"But that's…really all I can tell you, Daijiro. It's been a long time since I've been with them…" I trailed off into silence with a faint nostalgic smile withering on my lips. I hadn't done or seen a lot of things and people for quite some time. I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen Takuya smile, or heard Koji laugh. I could picture JP's magic tricks, and Tommy's amused face as he giggled at his friend's talent. I remembered singing with Neemon and getting an annoyed look from Bokomon, but it was hard to recall the song or the day or the occasion.

Everything was so scrambled in my mind; I had no idea what time it was, how long I'd been away from them, or how many fights I'd thrown myself into since I left them. I had learned a lot about my supposed 'enemies' since my last time with the Warriors—hell, I'd learned a lot about _myself_. I trusted that I could get the Legendary Warriors through these times of hardship and pain, and they would come out stronger than before. I trusted that I could get them to the end of this trek alive, and better than they'd been before.

Of course, I had to be with them once again before I could get to that point.

But how would they react to the new(ish) me? Would they be surprised by the change, or would it be expected? Was there a chance that they'd changed since I'd been gone? Had they been in many battles without me? If so, how had they fared? If they were all still alive and kicking, and I hoped they were, then that would be absolutely wonderful! I might even hug Takuya if he'd been able to keep everyone together without my help.

But even if they weren't together, that would be all right. The most important thing was that they were all alive. Injuries could heal, blood could be replaced, but death…no one could fix death. There was nothing one could do to even go about trying to fix it besides saying that final good-bye. And even then…there was no way to describe how difficult something like that was…Telling someone that you'd spent your life loving that they had to leave now, but you'd come for them someday soon.

It was like stabbing yourself in the heart over and over again and being unable to die.

_Speaking of hearts…_I glanced down inconspicuously at Daijiro, who was gazing at the Rose Morning Star with both awe and confusion. It was during moments like this that I truly missed having Raveamon's ability to read minds. I couldn't stop myself from wondering about what might be running through that head of his, what memories he still recalled, what thoughts occupied his mind right now, what thoughts occupied his mind at night, in the dark, when he was all alone.

I wanted to know everything about him, everything I may've missed or forgotten. No. I _needed_ to know. He'd been dead to me for so long…was it four years? Less? More? Did it even matter anymore? Should it? I wasn't sure about anything except that my brother, the last of my family, was here with me and—hopefully—was here to stay. Of course, if he wanted to leave…I wouldn't stop him. He was his own person and could make his own decisions, no matter how much they hurt me. I would not control him—could not.

What made him afraid? Angry? Sad? Happy? What did he want in a friend, a sibling, a pet, a Spirit-partner? Did he care if people saw him cry, or was he the type to stand strong on the outside and suffer in silence on the inside? Did he hate the darkness that had enslaved him, or was he bold enough to say he pitied those who could not see that it was not evil at heart, but in the mind? Was he truly willing to let me drag him into the world of a Sentinel like this, without a warning? Or did he feel forced?

"How should I act?" I tried to pretend that I hadn't been staring at him all this time, but he didn't seem to have noticed anyway. Blinking in surprise, I was about to ask what he meant, but Daijiro sensed my confusion and clarified before I could get the first syllable out. "As a…" He seemed to struggle to remember exactly what I'd said, though it was obvious he was trying as hard as he could to retain all the information I'd kept spitting out. "…Sentinel of…Life. I mean, is there a set-in-stone way that I should be…" He tried to make gestures with his hands to help get his words out, but they refused to come.

Feeling more than a bit of pity for the poor boy, I answered quickly, hoping to cut his misery of attempting to think of the right words short, "I've wondered about that sometimes, too, kiddo. It's sort of crazy—trying to figure out all of this without anybody here to tell you whether or not what you're doing is right or wrong. But I suppose that's what trial and error is all about.

"I think…each Sentinel is his own special brand of…whatever we are. We're all different because everyone has gone through different hardships, agonies, and other various struggles and battles. We act differently, we deal with problems differently, we cope differently…we have our own way of doing basically everything. So, in a way, there's really no right or wrong way to be a Sentinel.

"The only thing that we really have in common is that in the end, there's only one thing that we're here to do: Protect the Legendary Warriors no matter what it may cost. I know that it sounds cliché and all lovey-dovey or something when you just up and say it like that, but it has more meaning than that. It's got so much power, so much history—the breath and being of every Sentinel that's come before us exists in that command.

"That promise that we make means a lot of different things—some we may never have to face, others that we face every day. If a Warrior is in danger, obviously we go and help them fight. But there's more to it than that. If they're in emotional pain, it's our duty as both a friend and a guardian to go and be their comforter, whether you like them or not. It's like…being a friend to someone who just wants to slap you and leave it at that. Which will sometimes be the case, as sad as it sounds.

"But we got pretty lucky, Daijiro, getting stuck with the Legendary Warriors like this. I know it sounds like a really bad job and everything, but…but the bonds that you make with them…the moments that you have and the friendships that you make…that's the thing that makes all of this pain and grief worth it in the end. It's so easy to forget that death looms over your head constantly because you're so focused on saving the people that you love. And it's easy to love them…like—"

"Like breathing?" Inconceivably emerald eyes looked up at me hopefully, the flawless hue reminding me of Japan in the summertime when everything was bursting with life and energy. It was no surprise that Daijiro was the Sentinel of Life when he was so full of that very thing, being so young. But at the same time, that fact was sad. Fate was stealing so much from him by forcing him into this kind of a life. It was no place for a child with as much potential as this.

Ignoring my plaintive thoughts, I smiled effortlessly down at the face that had haunted my dreams for years. And still I'd forgotten just how much power Daijiro had over me. He could destroy me with a mere word, given the proper opportunity and motivation. "Exactly," I turned my head away from him, gazing off at the horizon. Pointlessly hoping so see a recipient of that very affection. But there was no one. "Just like breathing…"

Silence overtook us while the little boy mulled over my words like one would their favorite line in a story, a quote that you loved more than what would be thought to be healthy. Then, very deliberately, he took in an over-exaggerated, deep breath that puffed his chest out like a teenager trying to impress some girl that was walking past him. He held it for a second before the air escaped his lips in an obnoxiously loud rush.

My head swiveled down to stare at him with both befuddlement and surprise at the odd little way he went about 'understanding' my simile. He gazed right back up at me with a blank face; it was like he was wordlessly asking me if he was breathing the right way or something. We stared at each other before a smile tore onto his face and his bell-like laughter filled the air around us. A truly beautiful sound that would make any angel insanely jealous.

I walked beside him in stunned silence for a moment, paralyzed in the mind. Part of me was afraid of this either-year-old striding along beside me, giggling as if nothing bad had ever gone on between us. But the side that won over was laughing right along with him, a noise that I hadn't heard come out of myself in so long that it actually disturbed me a tad to hear it again. That fact in and of itself made me even more anxious.

But it also made me understand something, something that had been sitting right in front of my face this whole time, yet I had never had enough sight to be able to see it. All this time, I thought that I was being foolish and stupid by being a friend to the Legendary Warriors. I'd gone off on my own so that I wouldn't have to face the torment of seeing them hurt every day. I had once hoped that I would forget about any feeling that I may have once possessed regarding them.

Now, I saw exactly how wrong I'd been then, and talking with Daijiro about what a Sentinel was had guided me to see that. I'd thought before that the bond I had with the Warriors held me back from what I could be, kept me from being strong enough to defend them from each and every enemy that threatened them. But my place was not in front of them. It was not behind them. I was destined to stand right beside them through thick and thin, through tears and joy, through death and life.

Their love made me stronger, not weaker. There was no greater weapon than the eternal bond of unquestionable, irreproachable love. I'd been told by many, and had told myself many times, that love was for the weak, and the bold were strong because they did not know love. But why were the brave brave? Why did the courageous have that courage? What did they have to stand for?

They were brave because they had a home to defend. They had a family to protect, to care for, and to come home to. They had friends they had to support—you've always got to have somebody watching your back, right? Their courage came from the fires burning within the souls of the people around them, not from their own hearts. You could not have courage without trust in those you were fighting beside.

When you thought about it—and I mean, really, really thought about it—every action that people made in their lives was somehow linked to love. Be it the lack of it, an overdose, or the perfect amount, every thought, word, and deed could toss the blame to love. Passion crimes, suicide, insanity. That tender moment everyone dreamed of, the person who made you feel worth something again, going crazy because there's no freaking way to cope with such a wonderful feeling.

The reason behind everything: Love, love, love.

While I was lost in La La Land, Daijiro was having his first mini-heart attack as a Sentinel. "Um, Toshiku?" He tugged on my sleeve, his warm fingers brushing against my hand when he did. The tiny touch was enough to shock me out of my reverie. He pointed out ahead of us to something quite high up in the sky. Something green and gray that was made up of a lot of spheres with odd symbols and lights coming from them. "Do you have any idea what that is? Because it's…really close. And it's…kinda…really creepy." In any other situation, I might've snickered at the choice of words.

But this was no laughing matter. There was something…unnatural…just beyond the rocky cliffs ahead of us. Daijiro had obviously been watching the Rose Morning Star when it had caught his eye; who's to say that it hadn't captured the attention of the Legendary Warriors as well? Was there any chance in the world that they might be there right now? Possibly in danger? I had no idea, however, there was no way I was going to sit around and wait to find out.

Without looking down at my brother, I questioned him gently but firmly, "Dai…would you be opposed to doing a little…test-run with your Beast Spirit?" Tearing his eyes away from the obstruction before us, he stared up at me with eyes that understood what the real inquiry was. Demanded it from me in a way that made me powerless to refuse. "…Are…are you afraid to become one with them again?" I watched his face as he thought, his gaze keeping mine with ease, and I waited for any sign that would tell me he was lying. I watched for a glimmer of fear.

I saw nothing. Nothing but determination, determination and complete and utter trust in his Spirits. "No. How could I be scared when they were locked up and blinded just like I was?" His bold voice and words were unexpected; he really did pity those lost in the darkness. He didn't believe in true evil, for one named something 'evil' when it was so dark and black and deadly that there was nothing else that you could call it to describe it. It was the last thing you turned to.

Nodding once, I snatched my D-Tector from my pocket and was about to hit the button that would cause Wereraiomon's data to merge with my own, but I stopped. This was a new D-Tector. I'd only used it to become Shitsurenmon, never Wereraiomon. Had my Beast transferred over to the newer device somehow, or was I stuck without her now? There was only one person I could ask who might be able to enlighten me. _...Shitsurenmon?_

Without words (it seemed like she was speaking to me less and less. Maybe because it was becoming unnecessary), the ancient Spirit answered my question by sending a powerful wave of calm and sureness through my veins. Wereraiomon was with me; I could feel her presence as easily as I could sense Daijiro's beside me, watching me. She would be with me forever. Just like Raveamon.

I gave myself no time to think about…_her_…and quickly spirit evolved to my valiant Beast, feeling euphoric to be in the furry body once again. I'd missed this—the extremely heightened senses, the raw instinct paired with unimaginable strength, agility, and speed, everything—for so long. I hadn't been away from this form for a very long time, I knew that, but it was like…like coming home again. No matter what, it always felt awesome.

Breathing in deeply through my shiny wolfish nose, I noted how Daijiro's human scent was beginning to fade, now replaced by a Digimon's. Eyes that caught every detail glanced to the side, and I saw exactly why. My brave brother had already spirit evolved to his own Beast Spirit, Kanimamon. The metallic-silver cougar stood with an air of pride and beauty, every muscle twitching with power underneath the white armor. The symbol for his element, Life, was inscribed upon his shoulders, the writing appearing to glow like moonlight.

His mahogany eyes captured mine in a gentle but firm gaze, wordlessly urging me to take the lead. Without another second passing between us, our claws dug into the ground and we took off running at a dead sprint. Dust from the dark desert flew up behind us, but my eyes were focused only on the animal-Digimon running beside me, keeping my pace with the utmost of ease.

Kanimamon matched me step for step, bound for bound, breath for breath, never losing the beat for even a millisecond. It was clear that he had been in that body before; I was glad that he remembered enough from his days under Cherubimon's thumb to have complete control over his Spirits. He would never forget his days in the dark, but at least there was some positive laced in with the negatives.

A doggy-grin tugged at the corner of my mouth as some cheer entered my heart. Kanimamon was smiling as well, though I couldn't be certain of the reason why. Maybe he liked his Beast Spirit, enjoyed the way that the wind felt as it ruffled his fur. Perhaps it was the fact that he now could choose where he ran and why he was running, and that he wasn't being controlled by some _rokudenashi _with a serious circulation problem (even Digimon shouldn't have purple skin, honestly). He was falling in love with freedom again.

_You deserve some goodness in your life, kid. _We reached the sharp, steep face of the mountainous cliffs within minutes, our breathing coming in deep, unstrained bursts of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Kanimamon seemed to stall then, perhaps unsure how to go about scaling the rugged precipice even in his new bestial body. It made sense; it wasn't like he had all the time in the world to go and test out these new forms when he had to spend his days tending to Cherubimon's every psychotic whim.

Noticing his uncertainty, I took my speed up another notch and demonstrated. I felt the raw power fueling my muscles as I leapt from the rocky ground beneath me in favor of the jagged rock ledges that lined the cliff face before us like the vicious cracks in a person's heart. The ledges weren't very wide, but they were enough for me to be able to dig my claws in enough to get some leverage. Daijiro followed me swiftly, right on my tail as we leapt skillfully from overhang to overhang.

And with every inch of ground that we gained, I found myself enjoying the feeling that this brought me. The sense of company, having someone—especially my own brother—with me. It was so different when I was alone, lost to my thoughts, trapped in my blackened mind, vulnerable to any advance that it decided to make. Weak in the sight of all who loved to hide in the dark, waiting for my curiosity to drive me too close so they could reach out and drag me to hell.

No. With Daijiro here, that wouldn't happen.

And I wouldn't let that happen to him. Never again. Not even in his dreams if I could help it.

Our padded feet touched the top of the precipice in a matter of moments, our movements remaining in synch and perfectly serene (he met that description more than I did, though) even as we threw our bodies into a full sprint again. My brother seemed to ease more and more into the body that had once held him captive with every step, seeing that each and every movement was now under his control. I'd freed slaves and captive Digimon before, but watching Daijiro re-acquaint himself with freedom was more heart-wrenching than any of those times.

_Speaking of hearts… _My eyes were drawn from the many possible pathways before me back to the ten or so green-ish spheres that seemed to levitate in the air like hot-air balloons. Now that I was closer, I could tell that some of the orbs were lit up from the inside, while others had faded into darkness and no longer glowed. There was not one hint of an idea in my mind about what this thing was or what could be going on, but I did know that there was no way that this thing couldn't have attracted the Legendary Warriors.

It would be a stroke of luck _not _to find them here, however, no matter how badly I missed them or wanted to be sure they were still all right after how long I'd left them alone. Just one look at this…_thing_ told me that something was very, very wrong. The scent of the floating jade globes seemed somehow familiar, but I found that I could not place it no matter how hard I tried to remember what—or who—it was. That fact in and of itself made me anxious.

"Toshiko, I smell something…familiar," Kanimamon's voice cut through my wonderings as talons through flesh. Judging by his tone, he was as unsure about this whole ordeal as I was. His words were rich with the premonitions of a deadly situation as well. "I think…I think it's Mercurymon, but he's…different somehow…" I glanced at the chrome mountain lion racing along beside me; he was gazing right back at me, as if to ask if I knew how something like that could be possible.

Honestly, I'd almost forgotten that the whole while I had thought he was dead he was actually here in the Digital World. With all this evil and those who were slaves to its seductive, intoxicating pleasures, the lies that rolled off a honey-laced tongue. Of course his Beast would be able to recognize the scents of those who had once been considered his allies. But even the knowledge of who we might be facing put me on edge.

Mercurymon. The Legendary Warrior of Steel. I'd fought him only a few times—five at the most, as far as I could remember. The toaster-deficient soldier of evil hadn't seemed to be quite like Grumblemon (I missed that guy. I could fight him without getting half killed) or Ranamon (Who I could fight even as a regular human), let alone Arbormon (Stronger than the other two, yes, but still. He would never be anything but Kool-Aid Man to me, and I can't be afraid of that). He'd felt…much more worthy of a second-thought, definitely not a foe you'd want to run into unprepared.

But he was one for entries and 'proper introductions' to battle, so I wasn't as worried as I probably should've been. The metallic Digimon warrior would make himself known, most likely putting himself at a disadvantage and giving me enough time to evolve into whatever formed was deemed necessary. Besides, we'd beaten most everyone else (I think Ranamon and he were the only two left of the tainted Warriors, aside from Duskmon), so Mercurymon wouldn't prove to be that demanding of a foe.

…Or would he?

_Well, I have someone who might know… _"…Daijiro, I hope you don't mind me asking, but…do you remember much about Mercurymon from when…you know…?" I kept my eyes trained on the ground as I asked my question quickly and softly. I felt as if I were intruding on thoughts, memories, and past injuries that I had no business being near. Hell, I knew I shouldn't even be this close to that child, seeing how he was the bodily form of all that was good and just and lovely in life.

"Well…" The youngest Yumari thought for a moment, racking his mind for an answer to my inquiry, seeming completely all right with how I was asking about a life he longed to forget. "He was sort of the ring leader of Cherubimon's bunch of hand-made soldiers. Everybody treated him like he was Cherubimon's right-hand man, like his second-in-command—but he wasn't. That was somebody else, but I don't really remember who.

"I think Ranamon and most everyone else acted that way around him because they didn't really know what he could do. Nobody really even knew if he had a Beast Spirit or not since we never saw him use one and he never brought up the fact that he had one—I never picked up any hints at it either. He rarely went along with the other Warriors when they went out to go and collect data; he would rather be alone when he did that sort of thing. I hardly ever saw him in battle either—it was like he didn't want us to know what he could do.

"There were a few among them who acted 'normal' around him, though. Like Duskmon. The Sentinels that were there with me…" He paused, suddenly seeming unsure about something. He pulled his eyes from the horizon and brought them back to me instead. I saw a heavy dose of anxiety in his eyes, a fear that would surely haunt my mind both day and night from now on. "…Are Sentinels still Sentinels even if they're evil? Or does that make them something else?" His question struck me with an unexpected force, stronger than a steel bat to the brain.

I'd never considered such a thing before. Certain Digimon took on different forms when they were evil compared to when they were their normal, enlightened selves. That had been shown to me quite clearly when Raveamon merged with Rowloamon and became that hideous beast Karasoumon. I could feel a shudder creep through my bones at the memory; I could still feel the hopelessness I'd felt then as Raveamon had absorbed my misery and darkness to use as some kind of everlasting power source.

Nonetheless, she'd changed her form when she took on all the evil that she could wrap her hands and heart around, but did that mean that during that time she hadn't been a Sentinel? Had she become some sort of Digital demon or something, or was she still a Digimon but just overcome by the lies of those demons? Of course, I'd never been told if such a thing was possible, but didn't that mean that there was a chance that it was? If wasn't _im_possible…

Despite not having a single clue on how to answer my brother's question, I knew that an inquiry such as it deserved some sort of an answer. Even if it was only to state that it was unanswerable. "…I think that they're still Sentinels, Daijiro. I don't think that something like that can change." I left out the part about Raveamon and her having both been tainted and changed. He hadn't mentioned her yet, and I wasn't really ready to go over all her tormenting, mind control, and eventual disappearance.

Appearing satisfied with his answer, Daijiro carefully stowed it away in the recesses of his mind for later and continued with the previous topic: Mercurymon. "Us Sentinels scared him, I think. He didn't like being alone with us; that was pretty obvious," His crystal-clear eyes glanced at me while his whiskered face stayed fixed upon the horizon. No emotions were betrayed, though there was something there…something I couldn't quite pin-point the meaning of. It took a moment for me to realize it was complete confidence in himself and his Spirits. In us. In me. "Cherubimon told him a couple of times that he w—"

It would be an understatement to say I was shocked when Kanimamon's form sort of just…gave up. The feline body was surrounded by data in half a second, and the next thing I knew, Daijiro was somersaulting forward thanks to the momentum. Slamming the brakes down on my Beast Spirit, I skidded to a stop a ways in front of my brother, and hurriedly de-spirit evolved in time to catch the boy before he tumbled again.

My heart thudded wildly in head as I inspected my brother instinctively; he wasn't hurt, was he? Why had his Beast Spirit reacted like that? Was that a setback from him having been under Cherubimon's control, or was the Beast still refusing to submit? I had no idea what the issue was, but my mind was mainly concerned with whether or not Daijiro had been injured at all during the ordeal.

He was awake and looking at me like I was nuts as I gently but quickly turned his head this way and that, using his chin as a handle as a looked for any signs of trauma or wounding. I found only a small scratch, but it was easy to assume that he'd have bruises too. _I should've asked about his Beast Spirit. I shouldn't have assumed he had full control like that. How could I be so stupid and careless? _Sighing quietly through my nose, I hesitantly asked the one question I hated out of all the inquiries ever spoken: "Are you okay?"

Daijiro stared at me for a moment, stunned and confused, but then it faded into a smile that told me he knew why I was acting this way, though he didn't refer to the reason. "Yeah, I'm fine," My concern turned to absolute befuddlement when he began to giggle, one hand moving to rub the back of his neck. "That was kinda fun, actually!" His lullaby-lovely voice filled my ears with happiness and content as he laughed sweetly, seeming completely uncaring about what had just happened.

_Maybe…maybe he's used to it or something. Yeah, maybe it's just happened before. _The theories that my head came up with to explain this sort of behavior were all technical, Digimon-related things. But the one thing that made the most sense to the part of my mind that was unaffected by my guilt of not having been with him all this time knew it was because of how long we'd been apart. I just didn't remember who my brother was anymore. And apparently he was the kind who didn't worry as much as others, didn't mind a bit of pain mixed in with pleasure.

Knowing that I'd have to work to remember everything about my brother, I made a mental promise to both him and myself that I would put everything I had into being the sister that he'd deserved when we were little. The one I'd failed to be then, but would become now. I would make up for the pain, the lost time, Cherubimon's torments…everything and anything that had plagued him because of me and my foolish pride and wrath. I would prove that I'd changed. Even if he still wanted to hate me, though he was good at hiding it if he did feel that way right now.

Judging by his laughter and the smile that told me he was overjoyed for no apparent reason, I had a feeling that it was safe to assume he was just fine. Sighing through my nose with a touch of relief, I stood up, offering him my hand to help him up as well. He took it and I pulled him up with ease as I suggested with a small laugh, "I think we should walk the rest of the way like this so _that_ doesn't happen again." Daijiro shared a sweet giggle with me as we continued towards the strange obstruction hovering almost menacingly in the air.

We walked quite a way in silence, but it wasn't the awkward sort; it was a peaceful one, and contented quiet that made my heart sing. It had been a long time since I'd felt so…so at home and relaxed with another human being. I'd felt this way with my friends for a little while, but…when the darkness had begun taking over my mind, it had numbed me to feelings such as this. Now, without it there to crush me, everything felt so much more…real.

I didn't just see the smile that had settled gracefully upon Daijiro's face, I could feel it. The warmth that radiated from the bright light of his soul heated my skin even from across the foot or so of distance that I'd been sure to make between us (I was still nervous about getting too close to him. Wouldn't want to freak him out by bringing up old memories). It had been a while since I'd seen a grin that wasn't mentally picturing my death or mutilation.

"Hey, um, Toshiku?" Glancing down with a blank face at my brother, I saw that he had stopped and was pointing up at the giant green thing with wide eyes. "What…there's something going on with it…" Sure enough, the Sentinel of Life was right. While we were standing there dumbfounded, a giant red eye had appeared on one of the top spheres. It appeared only for a moment and quickly faded away, but during the time that it had been visible, something had come flying out of it.

From what I could tell, the Digimon—one could only assume that that's what it was, for starters, anyway—had long and unruly blonde hair, bright orange-feathered wings, and brilliant, bold red armor. Shiny gold plating was placed on different parts of his body, and his overall design was similar to that of a dragon, though he stood on two legs and had the form of a regular man—

_Holy crap. That's Takuya freaking Kanbara._

About the same time that I realized who the Digimon really was, he saw me. And it would be a complete understatement to say he was glad to see me. I could almost see the shock and utter joy on his face when his eyes caught sight of me. "Toshiku!" The big red dragon-man Digimon turned in his flight and came hurtling towards me and Dai, but mainly me (Taky hadn't made one move that suggested he'd even noticed the little boy next to me).

When he got close enough, he de-digivolved while still in the air (I'd been worrying he was going to try to tackle me while still a Digimon. 'Cause that would suck) and pretty much drove the both of us into the ground when he hugged/attacked me. I grunted at the sudden impact of both person and ground, and a stab of pain shot through my body as well. However, it was overruled by the unimaginable, indescribable happiness that I felt at seeing Takuya again.

He seemed pretty cheery as well. "I can't believe it's really you, Toshi! None of us thought that you'd ever come back, but here you are!" He laughed and nuzzled his cheek against mine as he spoke, the warmth of his embrace making me remember old memories of us. I could picture the somewhat violent way that we'd met, having crashed into each other a number of times while we were rushing for the train. The memory made me smile and I hugged him back, nestling my face in his auburn hair and laughing.

"Guys, hurry! It's Toshiku, it's Toshiku!" I looked up in time to watch as Tommy flung himself into the embrace, his arms wrapping around my neck and hugging my head to him tightly. I could feel him tremble slightly as tears of absolute joy whispered down his face. "I thought you were gone for good…You could've gotten really hurt…But you're back!" Some of his tears dripped from his face and onto mine, but that didn't bother me. I was mainly overwhelmed with how much he'd missed me. How much the both of them had.

I brought my laughter down to a throaty chuckle before pulling away from the two of them with a smile. It was obvious that they hadn't noticed Daijiro yet, and I could only assume how awkward it must feel for him to have to have stood there silent through all of that. But now, it was time I brought him to their attention. "Takuya, Tommy," I stood and stepped over to the short ravenette, hesitantly resting a light hand on his shoulder. "This is my brother, Daijiro. He's a Sentinel like me; the Sentinel of Life."

The two boys stared blankly at the two of us for a moment, completely silent. I barely even heard a breath escape from either of them. Tommy was the first to break the silence, "Well, I can definitely see the resemblance…" Daijiro and I looked at each other, and I immediately grinned when I saw what Tommy was talking about: Shaggy black hair, bold green eyes, and he even had that little glimmer in his smile that made him look like he was hiding something all the time. Dai returned the smile, apparently seeing it too.

"Yeah, they're practically twins…" Takuya breathed quietly as he stood, Tommy following suit when he came a little closer to the two of us. I could feel Daijiro tense a little out of anxiousness, but I kept my hand on his shoulder to reassure him. The Warrior of Flame extended his hand to my brother with a kind smile and friendliness lighting up his eyes as he introduced himself, "My name's Takuya Kanbara, and it's nice to finally meet you, Daijiro." After a heartbeat passed between them, Daijiro returned the smile and shook Takuya's hand.

A sense of peace and joy swelled within my chest as if someone had surgically implanted a fully-blown balloon inside my ribcage. I'd been hoping for this meeting to go as well as it was. "And I'm Tommy Himi, but you can just call me Tommy," The pale-eyed Warrior of Ice smiled at Daijiro, and my heart melted at the way that my brother was beginning to relax, his anxiety fading quickly. Tommy then added with a bit of a laugh, "It'll be kinda nice having somebody more my age around!"

I removed my hand from my younger sibling's shoulder as he nodded at Tommy's statement. He glanced back and forth between the both of them as he said somewhat shyly, "Toshiku's told me a lot about the both of you. It's…nice to actually meet you…" The new Sentinel looked up from his shoes hesitantly, a small smile forming on his face when he saw the friendly expressions on the others' own faces. _Thank _Kamisama _that these guys don't know much about the Three. I doubt they'd be this easy on him if they did…_

My doubts mainly came from pure fear, for I knew that my friends would never turn someone away like that. But still, I couldn't stop my imagination from conjuring up such nightmares. I couldn't stop thinking about those horrid things though; Daijiro hadn't met the entire group yet. "Uh, guys, where the hell is everybody else?" I looked past the two of them, but the only thing that really drew my attention was that gigantic green…thing…that Takuya had come out of in that new Digimon form.

These people had a lot of explaining to do.

Tommy and Takuya glanced at each other with a bit of a nervous expression before Takuya gestured for me to follow them. "Well…you know how bad stuff always happens to us but we don't know why, right?" He asked over his shoulder as he lead us closer to the jade spheres hovering in the air, ignoring them somehow. Perhaps they were no longer a threat—if they even had been before this point, which I could only assume that they had.

It was weird, though, how the brunette was being so…weird. Daijiro stayed close to me as we finally caught sight of the others. "…What the hell happened while I was go—holy crap…!" Zoe was on her knees with Bokomon resting against her lap, practically having a seizure while the egg in his pink waistband wriggled about as well. JP was off to the side, obviously uncomfortable with whatever was going on. "What did you guys do?"

"We didn't do anything, I swear!" JP shouted back at me; I could tell by the freaked-out tone of his voice that he wasn't around…this sort of thing…all that often. Couldn't say I was either, though. "Takuya was in there—" He pointed up at the green spheres. "—fighting Mercurymon—" _Huh. I guess Daijiro was right then._ "—and then after he won, a huge string of data shot out and zapped Bokomon and now the egg's just…just flipping out!" _That egg's not the only thing flipping out, apparently…_

I stared down at the egg lodged in the small white Digimon's waistband with a touch of horror. Daijiro seemed to be having the same reaction: He was staring down at Bokomon with his mouth open slightly in shock, the corner of his right eye twitching a bit now and then. I would have to explain a lot to him when Bokomon and the egg stopped doing…whatever the hell it was that they were doing.

Shock turned into awe and excitement when the egg began to crack and a bright bluish light shown out brilliantly from within. I felt a smile coil up inside me, but the face that Bokomon was making sort of ruined the moment. "The egg! It's hatching!" Zoe exclaimed, an overjoyed smile appearing on her face despite the fact that she was the closest one to Bokomon and his…face. I couldn't help but wonder if she even noticed how creepy he was. _Well, she's part Yumari and we do tend to be oblivious sometimes…_

"This is the most beautiful thing ev—" Neemon was cut off rather abruptly when the egg exploded—there is no way to describe it other than this: It freaking _exploded_. A huge blast of what I sincerely hoped was dust puffed up all around us, completely ridding our senses of sight of all the usefulness they'd had before. I instinctively took a step in front of Daijiro, covering my own face as well, but I should've known better. I'd seen what happened when Digimon eggs hatched.

Not wanting to relive _those_ memories again, I stepped forward through the now clearing dust, and came face to face with a cream and orange winged-Digimon with a waistband that matched Bokomon's. He had bright blue eyes that smiled as big as the Empire State Building was tall, and they made me think of the sky before we'd come into the Dark Continent. How it had once been beautiful but now was black with pain and grief and sadness manifested into storm clouds.

The rest of the dust dissipated and the rest of the group laid their eyes upon the newly hatched baby Digimon, the creature that had once been the all-powerful Celestial, Seraphimon. But this little guy…you wouldn't have been able to guess that by looking at him. Hell, if somebody came up and _told_ you that without you knowing anything more than what the two Digimon looked like you would be positive that the dude was yanking your chain.

"Hey, who is that?" Tommy was the first to question who the Digimon staring at me with a grin was, while the others—including myself—were still a bit too stunned by the events that had just brought this new creature into the world to be able to do much more than stare. My thoughts were dashing back and forth between a number of things, though—like how Seraphimon had died and had to be reborn because of my stupidity, the first Digi Egg that had ever hatched, and how he was gone because of me too—none of which I wanted to think about at this particular moment, seeing how it was supposed to be a reasonably happy one.

My depressing thoughts were sliced through with an unparalleled joy that I hadn't felt in ages when the sweet little voice of the newborn Digimon came to my ears like a soft wind in the winter, "Hi, everybody!" He smiled sweetly at all of us, no ounce of darkness or impurity in all of his being. There was nothing around that would not melt at the mere glance of such a creature; he was innocent in every aspect of the word. Completely ignorant of the current state that his once beautiful world was in.

But that horrible reality was the furthest thing from everyone's minds at the moment. How could it not be when you had just witnessed a rebirthing as…strange as this one had been? A brief moment that told you all was not lost, that things could be saved and brought back even if they had died? _Digimon don't…really die…_ The thought that such a thing could really be true made my soul tremble. _They don't die forever! They can come back…_

There were a few tears of joy in Bokomon's eyes as he gazed lovingly up at the little flying Digital Monster. His voice quivered slightly as he quietly cooed, "He's my…he's my little baby…" It was almost serene how hushed the world had become around us, watching and waiting for what the little baby Digimon would do next. I was personally hoping for a hug between the new parent and child pair. But Bokomon was quick to ruin the calm atmosphere by shouting, throwing his arms open for the little Digimon to come into, "Now, come say 'hi' to Mama!"

The others stared at him and the winged, pink-waistband-ed child for a second before exclaiming in shock, "You want him to call you 'mama'?" I glanced around at everybody's almost horrified expressions before looking back at the Fresh-form Digimon—whose name still hadn't been told to us, for whatever reason. He didn't seem bothered in the least bit and continued to beam gleefully down at the white Digimon who claimed to be his mommy despite being a dude.

Daijiro seemed to be a bit more bothered by this fact that the Digimon. For the first time in what felt like hours, my brother's innocent voice rung out with astonishment tracing it, "But you don't wear pants or a shirt…how could you be a mother-figure like that?" A chuckle escaped my lips at the terrified look on my brother's face as he tried to figure out whether or not Bokomon was supposed to be a girl, boy, or genderless without asking or doing anything awkward.

Bokomon cast him a small scowl, but it faded as fast as it had come when he realized that he had no idea who it was that had just unintentionally insulted him. "My boy…who in the world are you?" All my incredibly oblivious friends turned and looked over at Daijiro, his face reddening with embarrassment when all their gazes locked on him. I was pretty sure he wished that he hadn't spoken up right about now.

"…I'm…Daijiro Yumari…" A small gasp tore through a few throats at the sound of such a familiar last name. The reaction was almost humorous to me, really, a small grin forming on my lips as I came over to stand protectively beside my look-alike. He gave me an appreciative smile, glad to have me close to him for whatever reason. "I'm the Sentinel of Life…" His tone came out a bit stronger and more confident with me beside him; it would never cease to befuddle me. Had his memories been…erased, or something?

_I suppose that's a possibility. But then he wouldn't remember me at all, right? So…_ I allowed my train of thought to lose itself in the deepest recess of my mind, only to come back to it at a later time. It was inevitable: I'd have to face this fear eventually, but I didn't want to do it now. Not now. "Yep, you guys have somebody else who's going to be keeping an eye on you now." Daijiro and I shared a small smile, while the others were still trying to remember how to talk.

"But…" Takuya and Tommy were unaffected by the astonishment that the others were facing, having already gone through it a little while before, but Zoe, JP, and the two Digimon that had been with us from the beginning had been hit full-force. The Warrior of Wind had been the first to recover enough to voice her confusion. "I thought you said before that…that your whole family was…" She made a small gesture with her hand, but didn't want to be rude by actually using the d-word.

My eyes wandered back down to Daijiro, my smile losing some of its sincerity at the memory. It wasn't hard to remember how cold and hate-filled I'd been before striving to change myself into a better person, someone who wouldn't strike out in rage but would try to think before doing something stupid and rash. I still had a long, long way to go, but…knowing that Daijiro was here and I had someone to try harder for…even if the brother/sister relationship I missed would never return…it made the hardship worth fighting through.

I could never let him go again. "…I thought so too, Zoe…" _But little do you know, you're my sister too. I still have some family. _I knew I would have to tell her that secret eventually, since she obviously had no idea. But how would she react to something like that after all that we'd made each other suffer through? All the arguing and fighting, the insults and injuries…Would she even believe me?

Forcing all those wretched, agonizing thoughts from my head, I moved without thinking and tussled Daijiro's hair with a grin, making him laugh as I stated, "But as you all can see, I was wrong. And I've never been happier to have been." The fact that I'd touched my brother without so much as a thought to govern my motion petrified me, but I did my best not to show it. The younger Yumari hadn't shown a single sign of fear at the gesture; it had been okay to do.

But I'd have to be careful nonetheless.

While JP and Zoe began to introduce themselves, the Digimon following in suit (apparently that little orange guy was named Patamon. Good to know), I felt my mind slip into my Sentinel/co-group-leader mode. I'd done enough talking for the day; it was time that somebody explained just what the hell I'd missed during my soul-searching. Because, obviously, I'd missed a couple of pretty important things.

I locked eyes with Takuya from across the little circle-type thing that the others had made, and gestured for him to follow me so we wouldn't be overheard. He nodded and the two of us walked off a little ways before I turned to him with a stony face, ready for the guilt trip that was undoubtedly coming my way. "All right, what is that—" I waved my arm at the gigantic jade thing made of circles and eyeballs. "And JP mentioned Mercurymon. What happened with him?"

The Warrior of Flame took a deep breath and let it out slow as he looked up at the construction levitating before us, his face a mask of thought and wonder as the thing slowly faded into the darkness that surrounded all of us. "That was Sakkakumon, Mercurymon's Beast Spirit. He's a really weird Digimon, though, I've never seen anything like him before and Bokomon didn't seem to know much either.

"Not too long after you left, we were walking along and got sucked up into him. Those spheres all had little…dimensions in them, like you kept getting transported to different places but you never left his 'body'. There were other Digimon in there that we had to fight, like Mercurymon's Human form and then Ranamon. I beat Mercurymon and got that awesome Fusion Spirit, Aldamon—he's a cross between my Human and Beast, which is wicked cool. Zoe took out Ranamon, too. Other than that, none of us—"

I felt a snap of realization completely shatter my mind and tear at my soul. "Wait a second!" I spun around to face the rest of the group, counted them. Came up one short. I could hardly believe that I hadn't noticed before, but amidst all of the excitement of the egg hatching and that Sakkakumon and everybody meeting Dai…I hadn't discovered it until now.

Slowly turning back to face a Takuya who wasn't looking at me anymore, my voice came out low as I tried to keep my temper and panic under control. "Takuya…where the hell is Koji?" I could almost hear the broken pieces of my mind clicking together as I searched for any reason that Takuya wouldn't have mentioned this before—like, why this wasn't the _first thing_ that he brought up. _'Um, hey, Toshiku? Yeah, about your pal, Koji? He's…sorta…gone.'_ "Why isn't he here?"

"…Duskmon showed up…" His voice was wary, tentative and careful not to do anything that might set me off. I was glad that he was. I didn't want to kill him as much as he didn't want to be killed. "He got inside Sakkakumon when the others couldn't, he found Koji, and the two of them got out of Sakkakumon before I could get to them. I have no idea where they are now…" He was staring off into the distance again, probably the direction he assumed they'd gone.

I could feel my temper ebbing away, knowing now that Takuya had tried to keep the group together. It wasn't his fault that he couldn't control Duskmon; you couldn't tell your enemies what to or not to do. But my fear refused to subside. Koji was out there alone with Duskmon, the Legendary Warrior of Darkness that had not only kicked my backside bad, but had beaten all of us to a pulp even when we'd teamed up against him.

The quiet between the two of us stretched on for a little while longer, both of us lost in our own minds, thought it was clear we were thinking the same thing: Where was Koji, and how were we going to find him and get him back here with us in one piece. I was the first out of the two of us to take action, grabbing my D-Tector from my side, preparing to digivolve to Wereraiomon.

Takuya glanced over at me, his dark brown eyes landing on my D-Tector and eyeing it with some bewilderment. "You got a new D-Tector?" I nodded and extended it to him so he could get a better look at the chrome device. He gazed upon it with an expression of wonder before returning his eyes to me. "So…does that mean you have a new Spirit now, too?"

Not wanting to waste time explaining the story of how I'd come to have Shitsurenmon both in my D-Tector and in my head, I simply nodded again. "Yeah, but she's not as good at tracking as Wereraiomon," I turned away from Takuya and looked over at the other Warriors, at the lone Sentinel standing amongst them, a smile on his face as he made friends with Patamon. Turning in the opposite direction, I stared out into the expanse of darkness-shrouded land and blackened sky. Where Koji had gone.

I didn't want to leave Daijiro so soon after getting him back, but…I had to find Koji.

"Go," Surprise found a home in my eyes; I spun to stare stupefied at Takuya. There was a confident, comforting grin on his mouth as he looked away from the horizon and back to me. He must've noted my dilemma. "Daijiro will be fine with us, I promise. Besides, it's like your job to keep us together, right? So, you have to go and get him. Don't you?" He chuckled slightly at something that crossed his mind, and I could only assume that it had something to do with my more-than-a-crush crush on Koji.

I ignored how annoying he could be in the direst of situations and returned the smile. As a 'thank you, buddy', I caught him in a headlock and gave him a rather rough noogie, much to his irritation. He struggled out of my grip after yelling at me for a minute and punched me hard in the shoulder while I laughed at him. Still chuckling at his embarrassed blush and feeble attempt to hurt me, I clapped him on the shoulder and pulled him into a quick hug to make up for my obnoxiousness.

The Legendary Warrior of Flame got his fiery temper back down after a second and hugged me back with a soft smile tracing his lips. It was brief, but warm and comfortable nonetheless; I'd forgotten how much I'd really missed being this close to the Warriors. It was unsettling to know that one of them, the one who most affected my heart and mind, wasn't here. It was a nightmare come true, really, having to fear if he was…

Tossing the thought from my head with an air of disbelief that such a thing could possibly, happen, I pulled away from Takuya and patted him on the shoulder once more. There was a joking air to my words, but the threat that I gave was quite real, and I meant to deliver it should I come back and find my warning unheeded, "You better watch after my brother, or I swear I will—"

"Guys, it's Sakkakumon!" JP's shouting interrupted my good-bye-threat, the once peaceful mood disappearing as the day before the night is chased. Fear slashed at my chest when I turned back and saw that despicable Beat Spirit of Steel reappearing from the darkness he'd shrouded himself in, his body now twitching and writhing as if in pain. "He's twitching like he'd about to strike!" Horrified gasps came from everyone at JP's suggestion, and I wanted to smack him for it.

_Crap. Sorry, Koji, but I've gotta take care of this rokudenashi, then I'll come find you. Duskmon can't keep me from you, and it's about time he does some explaining of his own._


	31. Chapter 29: Fear of the Dark

**Yay! Another chapter of Frontier is up—and before Thanksgiving/deer hunting break has ended! :D Sorry that it took so long for this one, I had to go by episode for a fair amount of it, and that takes a lot of patience and concentration that I don't really have when it comes to writing XD I kept getting distracted every other paragraph lol. **

**Nevertheless, I have gotten it finished, and now have a little less than 20 more chapters to go before the end! Woo! **

**So, with that said (I'm probably forgetting to tell you guys something but I have no idea what it is, so if you've got a question feel free to put it in your review or PM me ) please enjoy this chapter of The Reason! **

* * *

Chapter 29: Fear of the Dark

Takuya and I ran back over to the others, the both of us taking a place in front of them. I kept my hand wrapped around my D-Tector, squeezing it hard enough that I feared it might crack. Sakkakumon's writhing about mid-air was a threatening sight, not to mention pretty repulsive with the way that his various parts seemed to throb in a way that looked incredibly painful.

Zoe seemed to be just as creeped out as I was, and her discomfort was evident in her voice, "Why is he doing that?" A number of the Warriors took a step or two back from the floating creature, but I noted that Daijiro was not one of them. He stood firm, staring up at the Beast of Steel with a blank look of detestation. He appeared completely calm, but how?

I reluctantly turned my attention from my brother to my half-sister, though she still had no idea—unless Daijiro had told her against my wishes. But that was quite doubtful. Digivolving to Wereraiomon's form, I stood crouched over the humans and the three Digimon, my muzzle coming down between Zoe and JP. "I have no idea. Other than the fact that he's the King of Creeps, but you already know that. Or at least I hope you would've drawn that conclusion by now."

"You'd have to be blind, deaf, and stupid to not figure that out!" The Warrior of Thunder tugged at the fur on my neck in an irritated manner, which I assumed was because I was separating him from Zoe. She didn't seem bothered by the living blockade, however, and smiled slightly at the insult to Mercurymon and his Beast. But this was still no time to be bonding.

While Bokomon tried to convince Patamon to hide in his pink waistband (I almost laughed aloud when Patamon was explaining how Bokomon was a bit too chubby for him to be able to fit in there anymore), I kept my gaze trained on Sakkakumon, snarling when he began to glow with such an intensity it reminded me of a star about to implode on itself. It wasn't until he began to cackle in that maniacal way he had that I truly began to worry.

As the light faded and his laughter grew, Sakkakumon's form shrunk to probably a third of the size that he had been before. But I knew better than to judge one's level of strength by its appearance. "Behold! The Legendary Warriors, and their little pets, the Sentinels of Life and Moon!" I growled deeply at having been called such a thing once again, my irritation masking the wary whimpers of the humans I shielded. "I must congratulate thee; tis true that thine efforts have given me more power than even I could dream of!" I had no real idea what he was talking about, but he gave me to time to ask questions.

In the blink of an eye, the green balls that made up his body joined together into one huge writhing construction that reminded me of a sack of spider eggs starting to hatch into thousands of creepy crawly little bloodsuckers. My image of a tiny army of mini-sized enemies was shattered when a familiar attack was announced. But by the wrong voice. "Thunder Fist!" A bolt of bright lightning shot down at us from one of Sakkakumon's spheres, and although my first instinct was to move out of the way, I remembered at the last second that I wasn't alone anymore.

I had the Legendary Warriors to protect again.

Standing my ground, I had a split second to brace myself before the lightning struck me like a Trailmon going at full speed. The attack wasn't enough to make me stumble backwards or fall, and it wasn't nearly enough to make me de-digivolve, but it was definitely enough to hurt like hell. And hurt like hell it did. My fur felt static-y and my muscles quivered with the pain of having all that electricity shoot through them, but I was still standing and the Legendary Warriors hadn't been touched. Neither had my brother.

"Hey, what's the deal here?!" JP was absolutely perturbed that Sakkakumon had somehow been capable of using his own attack against our entire team, not to mention the fact that it had been more powerful than the original as well. "He's stealing my thunder!" _If we weren't in such a seriously bad situation, I would so kick your butt for saying something like that. In fact, as soon as we get rid of this joker, I'm gonna smack you._

The Warrior of Flame was just as distressed. "Yeah, that's Beetlemon's attack!" I could smell their shock as the Legendary Warriors of the Digital World tried to figure out how Sakkakumon had done what he had. But none of them, let alone me, had any idea. At least, if someone did, they weren't sharing. Takuya had mentioned something to me about how they'd gotten sucked up into him, but—

"And now, one for the ladies," My troubled and confusing thoughts were interrupted once again by the Legendary Warrior of Steel's ancient, Shakespearean voice slicing through my brain like a knife to an incautious finger. Having a vague guess at what was about to come at me next, I crouched low above the humans, lowering my head and digging my claws into the soil to ready myself. "Hurricane Wave!" The bands of wind that struck me one right after the other were like punches from a hundred Grumblemon, but they were too cold. It was different than Kazemon's regular attack.

Zoe seemed to sense that same fact, but was equally as disgusted knowing that he'd tainted the once respectable strike that her Human Spirit had often used simply by uttering it with his despicable, slimy tongue. "That's just not right!" I snarled in agreement, glowering up at the Steel Beast with loathing dripping from my black lips like the slobber of a rabid monster.

I would not stand for that fiend disrespecting my half-sister.

"No kidding!" Tommy and the others were on my side of things as well, and were astonished that Sakkakumon was so bold as to dare cross the beings who had turned his comrades into data. We'd beaten the darkened Warriors time and time again, and now, aside from Duskmon, he was the lone soul that remained. But he wouldn't have time to realize that he'd need backup; he'd be past the point of having a mind capable of thought by then.

Takuya was in the same state of mind that I was: Ready to open up a can of whoop-_oshiri _on that oversized bunch of tennis balls. "Let's show him how it's really done!" Just before I was about to follow Takuya's example and digivolve, I was caught a tiny bit off-guard by a grunt of approval coming from Daijiro. When I glanced back at him, I saw that he already had his D-Tector in hand, and was already in the process of Spirit evolving to his Human Spirit, Vigomon. It just…for whatever reason, it didn't make sense to me.

Why was Daijiro so willing to fight now when he had always been pacifistic and submissive as a child? Had his mind somehow been changed by some trauma that I or Cherubimon had brought on, or had Cherubimon lied and he was still connected to the darkness that _rokudenashi_ commanded? Shady characters never could be trusted, so it was foolish to think that he really would've let him go that easily. But then again, we'd made a trade, so perhaps it was understandable.

As long as I had my brother and he was happy and healthy, Cherubimon saw no reason for me to hunt after Raveamon.

_Except for the fact that she's my best friend, and will hate me forever now for giving her up. I can't believe I didn't even try to fight for her…I was so afraid that one of them would be hurt that I couldn't do anything…but why is that, when it's my job to fight for the people who can't fight for themselves? I have to be able to break through the façade of fear…it's the only thing holding me back now…_

That was it. That was why I was weak, why I'd never thought that I was strong enough. It was because of that unconscious fear that existed within me, that thrived within everything and everyone that lived or ever would live. It was something you were born with…but not something that you had to live with. And when it came right down to it, no matter how hard it would be to do, I had to get rid of that fear. Without it, and with Shitsurenmon, the survival of the Digital World actually seemed like something that could be more than a fairytale ending.

_I just have to try…not to be afraid… _My hand tightened around my D-Tector and I snarled defiantly up at Sakkakumon, while my body betrayed me by trembling. Every cruel word, every single argument, every single fist-fight, every battle, every wound, every evil voice that had ever been in my head, every ounce of pain I'd ever felt ran through my body, their memories blinding my mind's eye to the point I began to wonder if I was going to make myself pass out.

I could remember every time I'd ever failed at something, every time that I'd disappointed someone that I loved, every moment that I wished desperately to re-do. Each word that had ever been spoken to me, be it kind or otherwise, each one echoed in my ears, offering me both encouragement and insults. Every voice that I'd ever heard, even if I'd only heard it once before, sounded in my brain, deafening me to the point of needing to put my palms up to my temples.

However, one voice stood out. One sentence was louder than the rest. One face among a million rose up amidst the darkness that clouded my murky thoughts, one set of flawless eyes gave my heart the jump-start it needed to fire up my body. _"I know you, Toshiku, and you would never let something as small as fear stop you. You're Toshiku Yumari, the Sentinel of Moon, and the first real friend I've had in a long time. I'm not going to let you quit, even if that means I have to carry you to the end of this war—"_

"Hey, Toshiku!" My eyes snapped up from my D-Tector to JP when he slapped his hand down on my shoulder, tearing me from my reverie of Koji's voice. He didn't note my shaking at all; on the contrary, his grin told me that he assumed that I was waiting for everybody else. For…some reason. I don't know, with JP, you learn to roll with things. "You ready to join Taky and Dai for a little action?" Even though that statement could've been taken in a dirty way, I did my darndest not to think of it that way.

I glanced back at my Digivice for a moment, as if questioning it the same thing. However, Koji's words rang in my head again, and I couldn't help but smile. _That boy. All the _kuso _I put him through, and he somehow finds enough love for me not to really leave. I'd try to return the favor, but there's not much else I can do, seeing how he's already got my soul. _"Sakkakumon's gonna have a hard time putting himself back together again when I'm done with him, man," I twirled my D-Tector around my finger briefly before hitting the button that activated my data. "Let's go kick his _oshiri_."

Takuya, now Aldamon, chuckled briefly before stating, "That's the baddest thing I've heard in forever," He grinned at me, though there was a notable tenderness in his eyes and he swatted playfully at the data that hid my form as I digivolved to Wereraiomon. "I can't believe how much I missed you, Toshiku. If you leave again, there's no way I'm going to let you go without me." The others nodded in agreement, and I felt my heart swell with a joy I hadn't felt in a long, long time. It was like someone had taken happy-juice and forced it into me via injection.

"I hate to ruin such a joyous reunion, but…" Sakkakumon's ancient voice trailed off as his form began to shift again, setting each of us—now all Spirit Evolved—on our guards. "My turn!" Kumamon let out a bit of an 'uh-oh' when he realized that Sakkakumon's main attacking sphere was now pointed at him; I instinctively took a step towards the white bear Digimon. Whatever was coming out of that eye was hitting me first, no matter what it was.

"Blizzard Blaster!" I knocked Kumamon back with one of my front paws and turned my body to the side so that my broad shoulder took the hit. I couldn't recall ever having been struck by any of the Ice Bear's attacks before, and it felt strange to feel something as cold as snow in a place as barren and dry as the Dark Continent. Well, 'cold' as in the physical feeling. There was a plethora of the vicious, malevolent sort of cold in this place.

Kazemon's tone was a strange mixture of dread and surprise as she stooped down to help Kumamon back onto his feet, "He's got your attack down, too?!" As I shook the snow back out of my fur, I happened to catch a glance of her expression, and I stopped, frozen. The Warrior of Wind was gazing up at Sakkakumon with a sort of fear that I'd seen in only one other person: Daijiro, when he knew that I was about to hurt him.

It was then that I remembered once again that these humans had fought just as many battles as I had, suffered here in this place as much as I had, and their wounds could be paired with mine with ease. Of course she was afraid right now; she's had her Spirit taken before, she knew what it was like to be helpless and feel useless. This was like having her Spirit stolen all over again. _But I swear to _Kamisama_ that she never has to feel this way again. I'll never let my sister lose something so close to her heart as long as I live!_

"How is he doing this?!" Beetlemon was as nervous and confused about this as Kazemon, not to mention everyone else. I could think of plenty of reasons as to why Sakkakumon might want to know their attacks, but nothing came to mind regarding how it was actually possible. I knew that he'd been able to sort of reflect their attacks as a Humanoid Digimon, but his Beast didn't have the mirror shields that his Human had used to do that.

Daijiro seemed to be the only one was much more angry than puzzled; I could see it in his eyes, and it was simple to assume the reason behind his rage. My brother, being pacifistic, had hated unnecessary violence, and something told me that he thought it was even worse that this villain was acting pathetically by stealing someone else's techniques in order to accomplish all of his dirty work. It made my stomach churn with disgust as well.

Without a moment passing of silence passing between us and him, the wicked Warrior of Steel began to explain himself, "Simple: I lured each of thee into thine own areas to observe thee in battle," The Steel Warrior stated it as if this were some kind of oral test and he was merely answering the first of twenty questions. His complete disconcern regarding his actions drove a fresh slice of anger and hate into my soul, though I knew it was vital that I remember to control such emotions. "Oh, how valiantly thou didst fight against my minions...

"Meanwhile, I meticulously recorded all of the attacks thou could muster! Alas, not one of thee suspected a method to my madness—my _deeper_ purpose. I must admit, your efforts surpassed even _my _expectations. The stronger the foe, the greater the response, and all in the name of glory—_my_ glory! And now, all of thy power can be mirrored by me!" The cocky Digimon was the very essence of greed and pride, and it made me eager to rip him to shreds. My friends seemed to be in the same state of mind.

The Fusion Warrior beside me snarled, baring his fangs to his fellow Warrior before growling, "You planned this from the beginning!" Aldamon's rage was evident in his voice to the point where I was astounded that this was the same boy that I'd first come to the Digital World with, the boy who'd come to close to breaking his D-Tector on a number of occasions just trying to Spirit Evolve. And now, here he was. The true Legendary Warrior of Flame. "So, that's why we had to put up with the stench of fighting inside of you: You were using us!"

A low growl surged from my throat, my bright canines barred as I snarled with a fury I hadn't expected. I could remember that, the feeling that my efforts had been used against me, that my blood, sweat, and tears were the makings of my demise. Cherubimon had worked that way within my brain, making me fight against myself in more ways than what the most advanced psychologist could ever figure out. Every step forward I tried to make, Cherubimon had something new shoving me back down into the darkness.

"No more!" I shouted aloud, though it probably made more sense back in my head where it should've stayed. Either way, it made enough sense that nobody was giving me a 'what the hell are you talking about now?' look, so that was good enough for me. Digging my shiny black claws into the dark earth beneath me, I rushed forward like a bullet train, leaping up into the air to take a whack at Sakkakumon.

But he was more than ready for me, and after a quick rotation, hurriedly shot an attack at me. I knew what it would be before it actually came since the element of the strike flashed briefly before the real thing came, and what I saw was the symbol for Flame. Being unable to dodge the attack in mid-jump, I had no choice but to let the blast of nameless fire hit me like molten rocks sent flying from a volcanic eruption.

The force of the mirrored attack was much stronger than what I'd expected; the burning sensation and seared my skin and smoldered against my fur sent a fresh wave of unbelievable pain throughout my body. I could hear Sakkakumon's mocking voice rising over the others' worried exclamations as I slammed back down into the dust. "I relish the thought that thy efforts shall be the cause of thine own undoing!

"Oh, what fools these mortals be; give me thy Spirits, and the Digital World shall bow before me!" As I struggled back onto my feet, I felt a hand reach out and settle on my broad, burned shoulder. Turning to see who it was, I was a little astounded to see Vigomon, his face stoic and emotionless, though I could feel the throb of rage pounding in his heart. I could feel his hate for Sakkakumon, his loathing towards everything evil. Towards what he knew used to be him.

From this one small touch, I could see his whole life story, read it like a normal kid might read a book instead of suffering through it right along with him. The meeting with Cherubimon, I could only imagine how horrible that must've been. Seeing this gigantic, demonic being standing before you, telling you that you were all along in a big, scary, dark world, and that the only way for you to stay alive was to join his side. The side of the almighty darkness.

Having no choice but to agree and do whatever that cruel being asked.

I could see him, Vigomon yet Daijiro, pacing the lightless corridors of Cherubimon's palace, seeing yet not seeing, feeling yet not knowing that which he felt. Knowing something wasn't quite right, but not knowing what it was or how to figure out the problem once he did find it. And the only way to find it was to fight, to follow Cherubimon's orders and fight the only one he thought might be able to help him sort out all of the confusion that plagued his brain: Me.

His element, Life, cried within him constantly. Every life had a good side and a bad side, and he didn't know which one was the right one to follow anymore. Their voices were the same, their faces like twins, and both of them sounded like they were lying all the time…How was the poor boy to know what to do when he was so overwhelmed with emotion that he thought he shouldn't feel, with voices that shouldn't be in his head, with memories that a Digimon shouldn't have?

But now he knew. Now, he could start to restore himself; he could heal. My brother could have a normal life like other kids, have friends and laugh and have fun like other kids. But not yet. Not here, not in this place where darkness and death and sadness were so strong. He could truly live when I got him out of this world and back to the human world, where normal humans belonged. He could be happy there.

First, though, we had to beat the _kuso_ out of Sakkakumon. And I was all for that.

And Beetlemon was totally with me on that one. "Hate to soak your blanket, big mouth," He called fearlessly up to the compound construction of eyes and green spheres, "but we're the originals, and no crooked copy-cat is going to tell us when to call it a day!" Without so much as a second of hesitation, he took off into the sky, muscles tensed and ready to take the Warrior of Steel down a peg or two. "Thunder Fist!"

I didn't think it necessary to stop him until it was too late to even gasp. Sakkakumon did his little orb-switch-around movement in the blink of an eye, and was just in time to have one of the eyes absorb the Thunder Warrior's lighting strike, with no damage done to him at all. The same could not be said for Beetlemon, however. "Thunder Fist reflection!" The very attack that he unleashed upon Sakkakumon was sent right back at him, the immensity of the blow sending him flying back down into the ground below.

"How…how is that even…?" My words trailed off into a jumbled mass of buzzing confusion puréed together with the sort of unease that a good horror film gave the mind. It was unnerving to see the attack of a friend performed by a creature that had no business even stating the name of said strike. It was unnatural, abnormal, dysfunctional…it just wasn't right.

_Sakkakumon shouldn't be able to do this…Stealing identities in a way most inconspicuous…It's almost repulsive…_ I'd fought enemies who were practically one and the same with myself, but this was something completely different. Back then, in those battles, there had always been a difference: I was always superior, I always prevailed over the supposed copy. But here with the Beast of Steel, where he'd stolen the very abilities of his prey, it was becoming more and more prominent to see…that wasn't exactly—

"What can we do?" Aldamon's voice derailed my train of thought, my ears astonished by the steadily growing alarm in his tone. We'd barely begun the fight and he already seemed to be growing desperate for a way to defeat this enemy; this wasn't the Takuya I remembered. "When we attack, he just returns our attack with even more power!" He wasn't facing me, but I knew that he was directing this concerned inquiry at me, the human in this team with the most fighting experience. And, in theory, it was a good idea.

But I had about as much of a clue as to what the hell we should do as the next guy.

Possibly sensing the uncertainty in my silence, Kazemon (who, apparently, also didn't have an actual plan) was the first one to state the one thing that had graced all of our minds but refused to become concrete: "We can't give up!" As if to prove her point, the butterfly-human hybrid leapt up gracefully into the air and, before any of us could voice any sort of deterrent, she attacked. "Hurricane Wave!" The force at which the bands of pink-tinted winds sliced through the air toward Sakkakumon sent a sliver of hope into all of us. I could almost see it, like when you flip on a light as you walk into a room.

But Sakkakumon returned us into darkness immediately, by using Kazemon's own offense to completely pulverize the light bulb that had lit the room that was our battlefield. "Hurricane Wave reflection!" With that same motion that I was now beginning to expect, the evil Beast of Steel captured Kazemon's attack and returned it swiftly, striking her back down as if having slapped her.

"Kazemon!" The rest of the Warriors shouted out her name as the winds, resilient as iron, struck the very Warrior that had once been their sole commander. I leapt forward to catch the Warrior of Wind on my back as she fell, keeping her from colliding head-on with the ground. She landed on my shoulders, which were hard thanks to solid muscle and strong bone, but were still better than the Digital Earth below my padded feet.

My sister struggled to pull herself upright on my back as I retook my position next to Aldamon. Her voice was strained and heavy-laden with pain as she muttered, mainly to herself, "I can't believe I was hurt by my own attack…" Beetlemon offered her his hand and helped her down off of my back, though any sort of comfort that he or anyone else would've tried to offer her was butted out by Sakkakumon's stomach-churning-ly vile voice.

"Most apt," He chimed in a mocking, matter-of-fact voice, the very voice that drove invisible nails into my spine and made my insides feel as if they were coated with ticks. "The invention returns to plague the inventor!" I snarled viciously at his 'joke', finding it much more offensive and cruel than it would've been had it been directed at me, but at my friends…that was unacceptable.

He would pay. And he would pay so bitterly that even the rocks would cringe.

"Enough!" Aldamon shouted from my right, jumping in front of the group with a snarl on his face and a growl emitting from his throat. He braced himself, feet solidly on the ground, wings steadying him as the large gold plates on his forearms shifted, turning completely around so that the point was toward Sakkakumon. The two blades that made it up split, and as I watched, a sort of generator began to power up, making the two pieces glow with a fiery hue.

I began to take a step forward, a deep growl tearing past my black lips as I prepared to fight alongside Aldamon. But something made me glance over at Vigomon, my blood-brother. My heart dropped and my mind spun with confusion for a moment when I saw what he was doing: Pulling out sword, eyes locked on Aldamon's back. As if…as if he planned to stab him in the back while he was distracted.

No. That…I had to be wrong. Cherubimon had kept his word and had given me my brother, free of evil. But then…what the hell was—

A cold panic shot through me as if someone had just plunged a needle into the spine, injecting me with poisons and toxins unknown to mankind. As I watched completely stupefied, Vigomon rushed forward and flanked Aldamon on the right, coming around with his sword, but instead of slaying the Warrior of Flame, he merely shoved him. The Sentinel of Life, wary of Aldamon's weapons, used his sword instead of his hand to push against the blades. He wasn't fast enough to keep Aldamon from attacking, but he was fast enough to make the bright spheres of red and orange go flying off in the complete wrong direction.

A stunned silence fell over everyone as they stared at my brother. Vigomon, sensing that Aldamon was about to get over his initial shock and start screaming his head off, quickly explained in a strained and anxious tone, "I'm sorry, but this. Isn't. Working," He threw a hand gesture in Sakkakumon's direction, eyes wild and wide with fear about what we were supposed to do next if fighting wasn't an option. "If we keep trying to attack him, he's going to end up killing us because this obviously. Isn't. Working!" Eyes darting around at all of us, he threw his hands up in frustration at our silence. "Don't you guys get it?!"

I hadn't realized that I'd been holding in my breath that whole time. The fake-out attack scene, his blocking Aldamon's offensive move, and his shedding of light upon the reality of the situation we were in. Swinging my head around to look at Sakkakumon's sick grin, obviously enjoying the quarrel that our group was soon to be getting into, and saw that Vigomon was right.

We'd attacked that Beast a number of times already, and he'd already told us that he knew all of the strikes that the Warriors could throw at him because of something freaky that had gone on…_inside_ of him (which still gave me the heebie-jeebies to think about). I wasn't sure how such a thing was even possible, but we were in the Digital World, where anything was possible as long as you were willing to fight to the death for it. And apparently, Sakkakumon wanted copies of all of our offensive moves.

"If we can't fight him…" Kumamon muttered in a tone that reeked of doubt and awe at the magnitude of just how badly we appeared to be screwed. "Then what are we supposed to do?" An eerie silence fell over our miniature army, the last army of the Digital World. It was our job, our duty, to fight to protect this world. But if it was a lost battle from the start trying to fight…

Then the only thing we could do was find a way to fight and make it work. "Pull back," Beetlemon seemed to see the point made by my brother, and his voice betrayed the fear that hid within his form. "Let's get outta here!" He looked around anxiously at all of the stunned faces around him, Kazemon and many of the others staring at him as if he'd lost his mind and was speaking some sort of alien language.

Kazemon and Kumamon both voiced the same opinion: Completely against what my brother and Beetlemon were thinking. "What?! You guys can't be serious!" I stared at the four of them, lost as to what I was supposed to do. My body told me to fight, to defeat Sakkakumon before someone else was hurt, but my mind knew that that was a battle I was sure to lose, and I didn't have the luxury of giving up my life for eternal peace and rest. But the only thing I'd ever done in the world was fight…I didn't know anything else, and neither did the Warriors.

However, Vigomon was a fresh face, a newcomer. Someone who had now been on both sides, and could see what was best to ignore, even if it was just for a moment. And, apparently, Sakkakumon was one of those opponents that you needed to leave alone for a little while, let him stew in his own power until he sickens himself with overconfidence and greed for a challenge. The two combined bring about the downfall of even the wisest and strongest of beings.

"Wereraiomon," I glanced away from my fellow Sentinel to Kumamon. The bundle of power and fluffy white fur was gazing at me with a look that I received often from him, but had never really took note of before. It was a face that expressed such a respect, such a devotion, that I had to look away. Not out of discomfort or something like that, of course, but…but out of sadness.

Tommy looked up to me, saw me as what I was supposed to be, but not as I was. He didn't show any sign of remembering the bad times, all the scenes where I'd been the enemy and not the friend that he'd needed. I had been the attacker instead of the protector on so many occasions that not one moment could pass by without me remembering one of them. But he did, just like Daijiro didn't. I hated that I couldn't be what they saw in me, and that hatred was the incentive I needed to do the best I could to be what they saw. To be someone who could lead them in the right direction, guide them through the darkness of life.

It was going to take time for me to work out all the kinks and knots within my soul, but it was possible. Or, at least I hoped that it was.

"They're right," I agreed quietly, getting a shocked look from the Warriors of Wind and Ice, somewhat unsure if I was making the right decision by agreeing with my brother and the Warrior of Thunder. But I trusted the both of them, and I trusted the sense that they made. I would stand by them. "Sakkakumon has a plan—a good one, too—but we've got nothing but guts and a will. We need to get out of here before we get killed, figure something out that'll actually work, and then come back here and beat the—" I paused briefly, thought again, and then continued. "—You know, come back and take him out like we always do."

Zoe had been saying for weeks now that I shouldn't swear like I did, but I always brushed off her opinions—usually cussing her out in the process. However, with Daijiro here, and now knowing what I did about Zoe, it made me reconsider. In order to be the Sentinel I had to be, I had to not only perfect the Digimon part of me, but also the human part. I had to pay better attention to the words that came out of my mouth, the actions of my hands and feet. All of it mattered, because everyone that they influenced mattered.

"Toshiku…" Kazemon's voice was hushed, a heartfelt mutter that she'd never used to say my name before. I didn't look at her; I knew the face that she would give me. The one that said 'You've changed. You did what you said you would. I knew you would' and I didn't want to see that. Why? Because I didn't feel any different, honestly. I just didn't. If anything, I felt worse than I did to start out with because now I could see how bad I'd been before. I could see why we hadn't gotten along at the start.

The Warrior of Ice was much more able to form a rebuttal than his friend. It was obvious that he was as shocked by my agreeing with Vigomon and Beetlemon, but he wasn't so sure that that was really what I meant. He was confused, and he had a right to be. This wasn't something I'd ever done before that I could remember. "You're not seriously saying that you think we should run away, too, are you?"

"…Yes," I sighed before he'd truly finished speaking. My tone wasn't as confident as I knew it should've been, but it was hard for me to do this at all. It was so…so _pathetic_ a feeling, knowing that the Spirit you had total control over wasn't good enough, and that the other that you'd been gifted was unstable due to your own incapability to master it quickly. I hated it, but there was no way to get around it. And that pissed me off.

Kumamon snapped back in surprise, the motion so violent that one would've thought that I'd reached out and smacked him with my paw. "No way!" I knew that I should've been at least a little astounded by how astonished he was, but I couldn't bring myself to feel that way. I'd been let down by a lot of people that I thought that I knew, and I knew exactly how it felt when you figured out who they really were. Of course, I was still me. I was just thinking a bit more with my head and less with my ego and muscles.

Well, I'd still think with those two, but I was just going to let my head have a bit louder of a voice in our conversations. Mainly to improve myself, and partly to make my mind feel a bit more welcome so it would quit nagging me. I thought that it was a pretty good plan. Probably wouldn't work, but a girl could hope, couldn't she?

"Let's pull back," Aldamon, Legendary Warrior of Flame, leader of our small, slightly disorderly brigade, gave his argument-ending opinion and received a minute volley of unsure and disagreeing quips. But he calmly explained to them his thinking, and I couldn't help but smile inside at what I heard and saw from him now. He'd stepped up a couple of notches. He'd grown up. And he was the Warrior of Flame that this world needed so desperately. "Guys, we have to think long-term. How can we stop this guy if we don't survive now? Wereraiomon's right: We have to re-group, and come up with a plan."

An uncommon silence fell over everyone, the quiet allowing Aldamon's words to sink deep into the whirring minds of my friends. Kazemon was the first to respond, her voice just as sweet and sincere as the rest of the wind in this world. "…You're right…" Kumamon thought for a moment, still not completely agreeing but leaning towards it now that Takuya's opinion had been stated. After a moment, he too nodded and made a sound of agreement.

And it couldn't have happened any slower in Beetlemon's mind. "Finally!" If it had been at any other moment, I probably would've laughed at how eager he was to get the hell out of here. I wasn't sure if he was fighting through a short wall of cowardice toward the battle as a whole, or if he was just wanting to avoid being attacked by Sakkakumon any further, but I also wasn't about to ask. Maybe at a different time, but not now. Not when everyone was around, especially that wicked, sadistic Warrior of Steel.

Who was now no longer where he'd been hovering only a moment before.

The hair of my scruff bristled and I growled, backing up close to the rest of the group, the others doing the same, as that very Beast encircled us like a constrictor about to choke the life out of its prey. Aldamon seemed just as startled as I. "How did he…I've never seen him move so fast!" I agreed with a small whine; he was even faster than what I was, and that was really saying something. It was more than unnerving, more than disturbing, but instead it was like the deepest, most malevolent dread had filled my soul, knowing that my enemy surpassed me in my current form. But I was too afraid to use Shitsurenmon's form to switch.

"Oh, great!" Beetlemon's once slightly amusing voice was now an annoying and whiny drone that distracted me from Sakkakumon. I felt someone's hand on my hind leg, the touch so light that I barely noticed it there, and decided to ignore it for the time being since it wasn't being as much of a nuisance as Beetlemon's negative attitude always was. "We're surrounded!"

The Warrior of Thunder's dark outlook on the situation was beginning to affect the others in a negative way, but was obviously upping Sakkakumon's ego, his sadistic, disgusting desire to break our minds. I could tell by the tone Kazemon used when she exclaimed with both a touch of fear and a bite of acid, "So much for running away!" Briefly shifting my eyes to look around us, I saw that she was right—both of them were. We were surrounded; we couldn't run away.

Startled by something I'd seen, I glanced back again and saw that the thing I'd seen had been Vigomon there, looking around at Sakkakumon with a worried look in his eyes, though he tried to mask it upon noticing my gaze on him. His was the hand touching my back leg, his the emotions that I could feel reverberating in the air like the wings of butterflies fluttering all around me, his the thoughts that hummed in my ears. I couldn't figure out what he was saying, but I could read it in his eyes: _"What are we going to do now?"_

We—in his thoughts, meaning only him and me. Two of the last Sentinels that the Digital World would ever know. What were we supposed to do now, seeing that we were surrounded and seemingly outmatched, overrun by darkness and sure to lose?

_"What do we do?" _I felt my muscles tense, Vigomon's hand moving from my leg at the strange feel. However, this reaction was not of fear, not even of anxiety. It was from the thrill of knowing what I finally had the chance to do: Battle alongside another Sentinel. "We fight!" A chilling roar bellowed out from deep within my throat as I dug my claws into the hard dirt and charged one of the glowing red eyes. Vigomon hesitated at my instruction, but only for a moment, for in the next, he'd followed my example and was rushing Sakkakumon's other side with his sword drawn and ready.

I made sure to bump Aldamon with my tail, trying to make him see that I knew Daijiro and I wouldn't be able to defeat Sakkakumon unless we got really lucky. That we were only buying him and the others time that they desperately needed. That they needed to _go_. He got the message and acted quickly, shouting to the others, "Move it! Otherwise, we're sunk!" before making a mad jump over one of the orbs' connection points, just barely escaping being hit by both a blast of wind and a bolt of lightning.

Beetlemon, Kazemon, and Kumamon seemed shocked at both his words and actions, the three of them confused at why they were leaving Daijiro and I to fight on our own, but they didn't question Takuya. The three of them found a way to squeeze through Sakkakumon's barricade, and the four began to run off, going in any direction that Sakkakumon wasn't in. But the great green Beast wasn't about to let them go so easily.

Shifting the many spheres around yet again, he wound up as a clump of orbs, the shape reminding me of some kind of bacteria. Sakkakumon, now free from Vigomon and I, began to roll rapidly after the pure Warriors, but _I_ wasn't about to let _him_ get away so easily, and the Sentinel of Life was more than willing to follow me. I didn't understand his obedience, his submission, or his undying loyalty to me, but as for right now, I was overjoyed that it was there and didn't care why it was.

The two of us sprinted after the Legendary Beast of Steel, but it was hard to gain much ground on him when he was that fast. It took every ounce of my concentration to at least catch up enough to keep pace with him, but that left next to no opportunities for an attack. My focus was so locked on stopping Sakkakumon that I hadn't even noticed that Vigomon had hitched a ride by hanging one arm over my back and grasping my fur, the side of his foot pressed to my side in attempt to keep his balance.

He leapt from me in a fraction of a second, and the next thing I knew he was doing everything in his power to keep upright on top of Sakkakumon. It was obviously a difficult task, seeing how the freaky Digimon moved by rolling all of the spheres at different times but all at a ridiculously fast rate, but Vigomon seemed to be handling it fairly well. Although it took as much focus for him to do so as it took me to keep up with the guy.

I wanted to ask him what the hell he thought he was doing, but decided it would be best to use every possible breath for the good of my running muscles instead of my talking ones. And I also didn't want to risk messing him up and making him fall. So I had to settle for glancing up at him now and again.

As I watched, he took his sword in one hand and let it trail along the glassy, jade 'skin' of one of the orbs. The action puzzled me to no end, but I didn't have time to question before one of the red eyes passed him by and shot a volley of fire blasts at him, forcing him to leap onto the sphere in front of him, only to repeat the same process—including being attacked again.

I couldn't stand the confusion any longer. "What…are you doing?!" I called up to him between wheezing pants; my legs were already numb, so now I only had to focus on breathing, forcing my legs to continue moving forward. The action of speaking having left me even more breathless than before, I hung my head and stared at the ground, trying to force as much oxygen into my muscles as possible while still going as fast as possible.

It took my brother a moment to reply since the sphere he'd just given the treatment to had shaken him off and he was having troubles getting back to it. While he waited for another opening to jump again, he tossed me an incredibly short answer that created more questions than it rid me of, "Testing." If it had been any other person with me, or during any other situation, I might've snarled in irritation, but I remained silent and tried to convince myself that whatever he was doing, he had a plan.

But he never got to finish up whatever 'testing' he was trying to do. One misstep had cost him his balance, and his brief pause during which he attempted to regain his footing offered Sakkakumon the perfect chance to land a hit. And he took it faster than a starving animal snapping at a meal. Several blasts of razor-sharp, scissor-like wind tore into him, the sheer force of the strike knocking him from Sakkakumon's back and sending him flying, his lithe form doing nothing to help him in his current situation.

"Daijiro!" I swung my block of a head around to see which direction he'd gone in, trying to figure out where he would land when he actually _did_ land. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to find him if he didn't land somewhere I could see him clearly, and at this rate, there was no possible chance that he would crash anywhere like that. I was terrified of knowing he was somewhere in the Digital World without me there with him. _Just like Koji is._

I was just about to slam on the breaks and give up the chase of Sakkakumon in favor of hurrying after my brother, but his voice stopped me from doing so. "No, Toshiku!" The distance between us made even his loudest shout seem feint, and the noise made my heart sink deep into the abyss of my soul. "Stop Sakkakumon! You have to help the Warriors! I'll catch up with you!" His tone gave the impression of a promise, and I forced myself to believe that he would keep it. He had to.

Guilt rode heavily within me, weighing down my muscles from the inside; I didn't want to believe that Daijiro, my own precious brother, was just as wrapped up in this dangerous business as I was. I couldn't believe that I was letting him fight alongside me, hated myself for allowing him to put himself at risk for the sake of a cause that he shouldn't have to be harmed for—shouldn't have to consider the idea of _dying_ for.

But there was nothing I could do. It was his destiny, and I wouldn't take that from him.

Trying to push my self-loathing from my mind for a mere moment, I poured everything that I had into keeping pace with Sakkakumon. My wolfish eyes searched for any kind of opening for a strike, exhausted any possibility that arose by analyzing the outcomes. Nothing that I thought I could do was possible; nothing would work. Anything I thought to do would surely kill me, and if I died now then the Warriors and Daijiro would be on their own, and I refused to make them go through this world alone.

The unexpected sight of a deep trench startled me, but not as much as the flash of a large butterfly wing sinking down into the abyss it created. The very place that Sakkakumon was aiming for. I was running out of time to take the jade villain out, and I still had nothing to go on except for the fact that I was getting a little better at keeping up with him. Which wasn't exactly helping me at the current moment, but still, it was better than nothing.

I would have to take a chance and do something gutsy when he made his way down into the trench, it was the only thing that I could think of to do, though I could think of a million ways that it could backfire on me. But that was what life was all about: Making mistakes and coming back stronger, having learned from the errors you made before. I could only hope that the same reasoning would apply to fighting.

As he dove down into the earthy wound, I slammed on the brakes and intentionally skidded after him. Now, falling with Sakkakumon into the darkness, I kicked my back feet against the lip of the trench and rammed into one of the jade globes as hard as I could, knowing full well that an immeasurable amount of bad things could and would happen if my idea failed. But I believed that none of those things would happen. Not yet.

And, so far, I was right. My tackle had been strong enough to throw Sakkakumon off-balance as he had done to my brother, and he was no longer able to control his movements. Rolling in the direction that I had shoved him, the both of us tumbled to the rocky bottom of the deep cavern, falling at a speed that would've completely obliterated any ordinary human so thoroughly that his entire body would've become part of the rock instantly.

I could've sworn that would happen to me too, even in my Beast form, especially since Sakkakumon and his incredible weight landed right on me when we hit the ground. I felt something crunch when he rolled off of and away from me, but when I tried to stand my body completely rejected the idea of getting up, let alone moving at all. A groan of pain squeezed its way out past my lips, even that little bit of movement blinding me with pain.

Flashes of black began to flood my vision, paired with tiny little white dots that reminded me of stars. Another whine slipped out at the feel of Sakkakumon's movement; I could feel the reverberations of the rolling motion he made through the rock beneath me. I knew that I had to get up and go after him, at least do something, but I couldn't make myself get up no matter what I tried to do. My body just didn't want to work with me.

My eyes began to flutter, trying to close on me, trying to drown me in darkness when I was needed by my friends. Trying to take them from me. But I couldn't stop them from closing; I couldn't fight off the black of unconsciousness that threatened to take me down into an abyss much darker than the one I was currently resting at the bottom of.

A pained breath slipped through my lungs, the sweet burn of the oxygen aiding the agony in my head and body. Every breath drew me closer to the dark. But then something touched my face, something light and sweet, something warm and alive. It was a smell that I recognized, but I couldn't believe that it could really be true. There was _no way_.

I forced my eyes open, the hope of seeing him too great for me to ignore what I was feeling, the scent that tickled my nose. And I was so glad that I had. The rare smile of Koji Minamoto was shining down on me, and suddenly, nothing else mattered. My pain was completely gone, not even a throb left to bother me. The darkness was smothered, destroyed and conquered by the bright light that surrounded the Warrior of that very Element. Breathing was no longer a necessity, but a blessing, for each drawing of air brought his life-giving light into my soul.

The ravenette that I was blessed to call my friend stroked the fur under my bloodshot but still bright jade-green eye, smiling at the soft feel of it. I laid there and enjoyed his touch for a moment, tried to forget the old saying about how all good things had to come to an end. That was a cruel truth that no one appreciated the presence of; it was a fact that no one wanted to know.

And yet, it always happened.

My conscious mind suddenly snapped to attention, the false image of Koji gone in a flash, the light gone and replaced by darkness again. For a moment, starting to sit up and not noticing that the pain was truly gone, I had no idea what had happened. I knew that Koji hadn't been here, but why had I seen him? Of all people that could've come to my mind, why had it been him?

I shook my should-be-throbbing head and stood with surprising ease that I was afraid to question lest the agony return to me. My mind was unable to process how a simple, incredibly short daydream about the boy who'd stood by my side throughout all shades of black would rid me of all pain except for that within my heart, but then again, there were a lot of things about that boy that I had trouble understanding.

For starters, why he'd stayed that long in the first place. Especially since I had been unable to return the favor and be there for him throughout everything. I'd failed at being his friend, and yet he strived harder and harder every day to remain mine. It was harder than any puzzle to solve, more difficult than a riddle to find the answer to. Why would he care? Why _did_ he care?

I threw my head around again, knowing that now was not the time to have some kind of emotional breakdown or whatever crises I was so prone to. I started into the long cave that was the only way that my friends and Sakkakumon could've gone, running slower than before when I'd been racing Mercurymon's Beast Spirit, but still very quickly, hearing the sounds of battle and of struggling from deep within the heart of the cave.

I was making good progress, the dark mouth of a larger room in the cave beginning to open up to me in the distance. But my heart sunk deeply to cower somewhere in my soul when a loud banging noise erupted from the dark, followed by the shouting of familiar voices. But then nothing. Absolute silence. And it was the worst thing that had ever penetrated my ears.

Thousands upon thousands of horrible outcomes and gruesome visions passed through my mind, each one carrying on into the next, growing worse and worse as more came. I'd never realized how creative and dark my mind could be, and I couldn't stand it. An imagination was both a blessing and a curse, depending on how you used it. And what it showed to you.

I burst into the dark room that all the noise had been coming from earlier, but now the only sound was that of my own hyper-ventilating-like panting. However, what I saw was more shocking than any of my imagination's works. All four of them were just fine, standing in a close circle with their eyes closed and hands clasped. Aldamon was speaking, and I was ultimately stunned by his words.

"We are not humans now, we are Digimon. Our senses are sharper than when we are in our human forms. You have to trust the Digimon inside of you." My jade eyes ,glowing in the darkness of the cave, stared at him, astounded quite thoroughly. I knew that he'd had some kind of self-revelation while I'd been gone, but I wouldn't have ever expected that it would've involved being a Digimon. And yet here he was, speaking more confidently than if he'd been reading the words from a book.

Now that someone put the feeling into words, Kazemon knew it was within her as well. "You're right. I can feel the strength, the power…" It wasn't an easy thing to discover within yourself unless you either knew what you were looking for or were faced with some sort of situation in which surviving said scene required the knowledge that when a human's soul was combined with that of a Digimon, there wasn't a single thing that couldn't be done. And now Zoe saw that, just as Takuya had.

"…That sound. Can you hear it?" Kumamon's voice was hushed as he spoke, as if a single misspoken word would chase away the tiny noise that only the most highly trained ears could hear. "His breathing…I can hear Sakkakumon's breathing!" The awe and excitement was easy to find in his tone, and it made me smile inside. It was an incredible thing, borrowing all the powers, abilities, and senses of such a special, amazing creature like the Digimon. They were inspiring, more so than any fictional hero or great human speaker or celebrity. Tommy now saw that _he_ was a hero.

Beetlemon's statement was short and would've meant nothing to someone who hadn't known him from the beginning. "…I hear it!" Those three words summed up his story in my mind. He'd come here refusing to hear the strong, willful voice of the martyr within him, refused to believe in who he truly was. But now, after all of the pain and the troubles that he'd faced alone in this world as well as alongside us, he was no longer deaf to that voice. He believed in himself as the one and only Legendary of Thunder, and he believed in the power of the Warriors as a whole.

"We are not alone," Aldamon's grip tightened on his friends' hands as he continued his enlightening speech. I started to walk slowly over to them, being sure to keep my footfalls quiet as not to disturb their concentration. "Our power lies in the faith that we have in one another. Even if you can't Fusion Evolve, we can still use all of our attacks. Together."

Eyes still closed (though it was sort of hard to tell because of the half-mask that she wore over them), Kazemon began to mutter something in a voice that resembled a breeze: Hushed, the softest thing in either world that was still considered a noise. "We can use our attacks—"

Kumamon continued on her point. "All together—" I stopped behind their little circle, reminding myself now and again to be as silent as possible; now that they could sense their Digimon Spirits, they would be distracted by even the tiniest noise. And they needed to finish this. They'd needed to have this kind of an awareness within themselves for such a long time.

But it was there now, and my faith in them couldn't have been made any stronger, not even by Beetlemon's finishing of the thought with two simple but powerful words: "To win." Their words were both an embodiment of their new knowledge as well as a pretty darn good hint towards what they were thinking of doing next. And I would've been lying if I'd said I wasn't excited for this sure-to-be victory.

Sakkakumon, however, was not impressed, nor was he nervous, according to his smug grin. "…Right, whenever you're finished…I believe you have a little something to give me?" At the sound of the Beast's snide comment, all four of the Warriors' eyes snapped open and they drew apart from each other with confidence and power scrawled all across their faces. Sakkakumon was completely screwed; I didn't have to even see this through to the end to know it.

But I was looking forward to being a part of his downfall nonetheless.

As I came up to stand beside Aldamon, Kazemon and Kumamon shot each other a glance. They nodded knowingly to one another before the two leapt into action with the skills of someone far more experienced than they. The Warrior of Wind cast forth one of her Hurricane Wave attacks, while her fellow Warrior shot into the blast of razor-wind with his own Blizzard Blaster, the two morphing together to become an icy tornado.

The combined ice and wind collided with a suddenly not-so-sure-of-himself Sakkakumon, the creature letting out a shout of both pain and surprise. I grinned devilishly at the 'What the hell just hit me?' face that he made before he started flipping out. "I don't have that attack in my records!" The tone he used was pretty darn close to the voice someone would use when saying, 'Hey! That's against the rules!' Well, screw the rules, they're Legendary Warriors.

"Of course, you don't. That attack's never been used before, buddy." There was such a powerful bite to Aldamon's tone that I barely recognized his voice aside from his use of the word 'buddy'. That was his _thing_. If there was ever a time when there were two of Takuya and we had no way of telling them apart but we knew that one wasn't the real one, spend a whole day with each of 'em. Whatever one doesn't say 'buddy' at least once is not the real Takuya. Not to mention the fact that the real one is going to be the most pissed that you can't tell he's the correct choice.

As if to prove Aldamon's point to be true even more than the first attack had done, Beetlemon shot off a volley of lightning bolts from his fists, obviously his go-to move, Thunder Fist. The unparalled lightning paired with Kazemon's Hurricane Wave attack, the lightning coursing through the powerful winds like it did through the clouds before striking the ground viciously. In this case, however, Sakkakumon was acting at the ground, and was rather unhappy about it.

The attack hit him hard, clearly taking a toll on the stubborn creation of Cherubimon. He didn't get a moment to recover, though, since Beetlemon and Kumamon were already working quickly to throw another combo-move at him. The Warrior of Thunder, using his Thunder Fist attack again, made the lightning to act as a sort of moving roadway for the Ice Warrior's Crystal Freeze strike, the small but sturdy polar bear riding upon the electric current just long enough to add his power to the move before leaping off of it again as it hit Sakkakumon square in the face.

The once great Beast Spirit of Steel let out a cry of pain, but one could also note a hint of self-doubt, of fear in his shout. And it pushed us on. "You stopped our attacks individually, but now that we're mixing our attacks, you can't beat us!" The cockiness that I'd known to be in Takuya since that day that I'd met him was evident in his voice, but it was different somehow. More…controlled, and less than what it had once been. He'd forced it to evolve into something that was much more like confidence, pride in the Digimon that existed within him, instead of the dangerous human emotion that it once had been.

"You'll never steal our Spirits now!" Our practically forced-to-be leader exclaimed, his fists held tightly at his sides, back straight, wings boldly parted. The exact pose of a soldier who knew victory was at hand. "Our attacks have changed, so you can't copy them. You're through, Sakkakumon!" He near snarled out the last three words, his bright white fangs gleaming even in the dim light of the cavern. I had to admit, I'd never really seen him as a threat before, but now…_Wow. Somebody has been working on his no-more-Mr. Nice- Buddy face. _

"You're wrong!" Sakkakumon's face was contorted in something that was much easier to recognize than someone with their name scrawled across their face as well as holding a sign with their name written on it: It was fear. Absolute, and total horror at the situation that he'd gotten himself into. His body was too big and hard to maneuver for him to have any chance of getting out of this cavern alive, and he stood no chance against us, seeing how he was outnumbered and outmatched.

He was going to lose, and he knew it far too well. But he couldn't accept it, refused to.

Aldamon was more than happy to continue to torment him with the fact, though. And I couldn't say that a part of me wasn't getting any kicks out of it. He'd done much worse to us, hadn't he? Wouldn't it be good for him to taste defeat in the same mocking, torturous way that we had? I thought so, and apparently Aldamon and the others were with me on that one. "Don't think so. The tables have turned here, and now you're the one who's afraid and left in the dark." The fusion of both Beast and Human Spirit snarled once again, upper lip curling up to show his teeth like a cornered animal. "Try and guess what we'll do next!"

"I'll still win! I can't lose…to the likes of you! I am superior!" Sakkakumon continued to feed himself lies in hopes of making himself feel better, making himself believe that there actually was a chance that he'd get out of here in one piece. "You little whelks can't defeat me! You'll never survive my power!" His look of fear was still on his face, but the jade copy-cat attempted to mask it with a sneer and enraged glare.

But he couldn't hide from us, not even in the dark. "You know what they always say: Never say never!" Aldamon turned to me, pumped his fist in that way that he did, the way that always made me grin, and called in the most enticing voice he'd ever used on me before, "Let's show him, Wereraiomon!" That invitation into a battle, the look in his eyes that said 'I want to fight beside you', the aura of strength and heart that emitted from him…You just didn't say 'no' to something like that.

With a wolfish grin cast in the Flame Warrior's direction, I kicked myself back onto my hind legs and threw my head back, mouth gaping open as if about to howl. Blinding white light was first to fill my mouth, then it was mixing with all the colors of the ten Elements, their power coming from the verres that still hung around my neck. I could hear Aldamon growling as he attempted to restrain the immense sphere of fire that he currently held in his hands; it was now or never.

Dropping back to the ground as solidly as a rock, I gave my head a rough toss, the rippling ball of multi-colored energy rocketing off in Sakkakumon's direction. The moment that I did so, Aldamon released the fireball with a grunt, falling back a step from how much effort he'd put into the attack. Now that the two spheres of energy were free to go as they pleased, the two merged into one rippling mass, seeming to twitch unsurely, a small white light fading in and out as it flew rapidly through the air.

Thinking about it a bit more, I saw that it reminded me of a ticking time bomb. And, apparently, the right time was right when it smacked into Sakkakumon's snide but terrified face. The mass completely exploded, blowing dirt and the blackest smoke I'd seen into the air all around us, blinding us from seeing Sakkakumon or the light he'd been strangely emitting. However, we didn't really have to see him. We could all tell from his screams of agony that we really wouldn't have to worry about him any longer.

An unnatural crack of glass came from Sakkakumon, followed swiftly by an odd blue light that glittered against the dark dirt in the air. I took a step forward, ready to go and investigate what the hell was going on with Sakkakumon's ready-to-be-finished-for-good form, but was stopped abruptly when something came flying out from the fog of smoke and dust and…Sakkakumon parts. I was astonished at what—rather, 'who'—it was: My brother.

He dropped gracefully to the ground in a crouch, and then straightened up to gaze at me, his sword gripped tightly in his hand as it hung at his side. I noted a few pieces of freaky-looking light green glass stuff stuck in his armor as he began to speak, albeit a bit nervously. "…Sorry if somebody wanted to do that. I sort of…saw an opening and took it, since they weren't really coming up all that often…" Vigomon's bright eyes continually were lowered and then raised to look at me, like a little kid who knew he was in trouble.

But I didn't understand. "Vigomon, what are you—Oh…" I stopped speaking as the dust settled and I saw what my brother was so nervous about me seeing. Sakkakumon was still floating in the air, just losing his green pigment and becoming shrouded in black as was routine for Digimon when their data appeared. Except there was a gigantic freaking hole in the middle of the center orb, the one with no eyes.

The one that no attacks had ever come from.

The realization struck me a bit too fast, not allowing me enough time to even process the incredible power that my Sentinel-brother had displayed. "How…how did you do that? How did you know? How…?" I ran out of words with which my questions could be explained. There just weren't enough in the dictionary for me to be able to describe just how awestruck I was by Daijiro. None of our attacks had done anything like that, and he'd only been using his sword! It was downright amazing!

For some reason, he seemed to think that doing something like that was a bad thing, and he continued to avoid my and the others' eyes. "That was what I was doing before when I said I was 'testing'. I was pretty sure that he would have the data and stuff all in one sphere, so I was trying to figure out which one it was. I was positive that I'd found the right one, but that was when I kinda slipped and he got me.

"But I had to make sure to get him back. So…" He pointed behind him with his sword, obviously gesturing to the glorious mess that he'd made of Sakkakumon. "I got him." I knew that my brother would want some kind of sentence as a reply, and I should've been telling him that he did that right thing and he did it better than anybody else could've, but all that I was able to get out past my initial shock was a pathetic little 'uh-huh'. In my defense, it was hard to talk when your lower jaw wouldn't come back up from the floor.

Thankfully, Beetlemon was able to speak, and chose the right words to say for once in his life, "Yeah, you got him, all right!" The Warrior of Thunder came up to my nervous brother and clapped him on the shoulder rather roughly, forcing him around to look at Sakkakumon's darkening form. "And it was a thing of beauty, what you did. Nice going, kid!" He patted Daijiro solidly on the back, causing the boy to almost fall forward onto his face since the show of sentiment had caught him off-guard.

"That was pretty awesome, Dai," Aldamon stepped over to the new soldier, holding his hand out for the Sentinel of Life to shake as he had when they'd met. But this time, it was different. Before, it had just been a formality, and now, it was from the true leader of the Digital World's resistance. "We'd be more than happy to have you with us, Dai."

My brother hesitated momentarily, glancing at me to give himself a boost of courage, then smiled back at Aldamon and shook his hand. The others smiled happily at the new addition, and Kumamon was quick to make him feel welcome. "Welcome to the team, Vigomon!" The Sentinel beamed down at the polar bear, thanking him and the others as best he could with his head still buzzing from the realization of just how enormous his strike had been.

He came to my side as the others figured out who was going to be the one to take Sakkakumon's data. Bright ruby eyes gazed up at me as one would look up to the sky in search of a sign of heaven, anything that would show to them that salvation was a gift and not earned, not based on the works of man. I looked back at him, rolling back to sit as we gazed at one another. For the longest time I wasn't sure what to do, had no idea what I was supposed to say.

Finally, I said the very thing that I'd been thinking, a small doggy-smile adorning my furry face as I did. "You're going to be a great Sentinel, Daijiro. I'm happy for you." The deepness of the emotion in my voice was something that could never have been faked or even mimicked, not by anyone in either of the worlds. There was nothing more real, more genuine in the history of man or Digimon that could parallel what I felt at that moment. There were no words, it wasn't pride, or joy, or anything. But it was there, and stronger than anything.

Upon hearing my praise and seeing that what he'd done had been what we Sentinels were supposed to do, he smiled up at me with what looked like relief. Acting on impulse, or so I assumed, he closed the short distance between us and wrapped his arms tightly around my foreleg, burying his beaming face into my dark fur. That startled me a bit, yeah, but not as much as the words that accompanied the embrace. "…I love you, sis."

My face snapped down to stare at the boy, but he didn't look up at me, his mind elsewhere, lost in the intense warmth that radiated from me at all times. It was impossible that he was telling the truth; it just had to be! He couldn't mean that, not after what I'd done to him, not after all of that. It was impossible. It had to be. There was no way in hell that such a thing could really be true. I wouldn't even dream of it lest my hopes rise up too high, only to come crashing back down when the truth reappeared.

But _my_ brother didn't lie. If there was anything I remembered from my childhood, it was that. He'd lied to our parents now and again, always about the bruises that I'd made on him, but he'd never lied to me. Never.


	32. Chapter 30: Reprobate Romance

**Can't write much 'cause I have to get to bed but I hope you guys like this 'cause I shoulda been doing my homework instead of working on this but I love all my reviewers too much to make you wait even a day longer so here ya go! Please enjoy!**

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Chapter 30: Reprobate Romance

I pressed the same button on my D-Tector that I'd been hitting for the past fifteen minutes or so, and the same static came back to greet me. Koji still wouldn't answer; he wouldn't answer any of our frequent, often frantic, calls. I'd had next to no clue that we could communicate through our Digivices, but Takuya had shown me how, and now…I didn't want to stop until the Warrior of Light freaking called me back.

Gulping back my fear and anxiety, knowing that it would do nothing for me, I muttered weakly under my breath as I pressed the button again, "You come to me in a freakish 'dream' to take away my pain, but now you won't give me even the tiniest sign of life? Come on, Koji! What the hell's going on? Where the hell are you…?" No reply from Koji over my D-Tector. Grinding my teeth in frustration and worry, I stuffed the device into my pocket and stood, suddenly and inexplicably restless.

A soft wind picked up around me, carrying away the voices of my friends though they were only a few meters from me. As the unnatural silence strengthened, I focused on it, closing my eyes to do so effectively. I did my best to listen carefully to the world around me, wanting—no, _needing_—to hear something, anything, that could be considered out of the ordinary. If Koji wasn't going to speak to me directly, then maybe something near him would give his position away.

I wasn't sure what I thought that I was going to hear, but I was starting to go crazy not knowing anything. So, for the sake of my sanity, I was willing to try anything.

Repeatedly clenching and unclenching my fists, I tried to search the atmosphere for anything and everything, without a single clue of what I was actually listening for. The fact that I hadn't spirit-evolved hadn't even crossed my mind yet, but I didn't stop to do so. My mind was lost to the Digital World along with all of my senses, making me a puppet yet a puppeteer at the same time. A puppet because my reactions depended on what I might hear, and a puppeteer for my actions alone controlled what I may or may not pick up on.

The faintest of booms echoed over to me from far off in the distance. Slightly shocked at actually having heard something, my eyes snapped open and I spun to face the direction that the explosions had come from, my heart now pounding with newly awakened hope. Hope that told me Koji had to be out there, that he had to be wherever that noise was coming from. He just _had_ to be.

I wasn't sure what I would do if he wasn't.

Without a word to the others, my mind so focused on Koji that I'd practically forgotten all about them, I started off in the direction of the booms. The thought that I should spirit evolve crossed my mind for a moment, but the notion was put on hold when the voice of one of my friends entered my mind. "Um, Toshiku?" I turned to face Bokomon; I didn't stop walking even though I was now going backwards. "Where exactly are you going?"

"I have a theory," I stated blatantly as I jabbed my thumb in the direction that I was moving. "That tells me that Koji is this way." Well, it wasn't a theory, really, since it wasn't based on anything more than guesses, noises, and a prayer or two. But it was safe to assume that nobody else had many better ideas that didn't involve waiting around for him to find us or trying again and again to get him to answer his D-Tector.

So, I was going to get a move on. With or without the rest of the group.

Though, an aching in my soul told me that there would be no 'without' them. I couldn't leave them alone again, especially not my brother. Not when he barely knew the people that I'd be leaving him with, let alone the strange world that he was in—even if he had been here for longer than any of us had been. He'd been a different person then, and now he was back to being the way that he should always have been. But that person needed a guardian, and the only one that could pass the okay-for-the-job test was me.

I stopped moving forward (Er, well, backward I guess) when I was met by the doubting faces of my peers. They knew as well as I that this was a long-shot guess at best. But it was the only thing that we had, wasn't it? Raising up my hands in an I-don't-know-what-else-to-do sort of way, I called to them with a laugh that knew nothing of humor, "Unless one of you has a better idea, somebody tell me why we shouldn't just start moving!" My lost and desperate smile was pleading; I just wanted to find Koji. After that, we could do whatever.

I just wanted Koji back.

And I, apparently, was not the only one who wanted to get this search over with. Patamon, the newest Digimon recruit, was eager to join me on my wild goose chase. Flying away from Bokomon, he started in my direction as he chanted, "Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!" His bright and excited smile was intoxicating, contagious, and I soon found one similar to it resting upon my own face. It was a sensation that I'd grown to have forgotten, but I found that I liked trying to recall it.

JP was the voice of reason that fought against my blind impulsiveness this time, just as he did most every other time. "How do you know that he's that way?" The Warrior of Thunder pointed in my direction—with less gusto than what I'd used, might I add—and cast me a very, very skeptical yet somehow troubled stare. I thought perhaps he was worried about us not finding Koji, or maybe he was afraid that I would lead them into something we would be unable to get out of, like what had almost happened with Sakkakumon.

Patamon made a small noise of disappointment, seeing JP's point of view and noting how it was more logical and safe than what I was proposing. Since I was trying to say that if we started walking towards a battlefield, we'd find Koji. And, if you were to ask ten random people, I'd bet you everything that I'd ever had that all of them would say that they would really rather not wander out into the middle of such a place.

Yet, at the same time that he doubted me, I knew that deep down, JP would've believed anything I said. He trusted me that much. "I know that it seems like I'm picking a random direction and hoping that it's the right one, but I'm not this time. I just…I just know, all right?" The I'm-three-quarters-of-the-way-to-being-insane-I-can't-help-being-weird look I'd become known for faded and was replaced by a much more confident one as I added, "It's my job to 'just know' this kind of stuff. You know it is. So, seeing as how I'd have to be pretty good at this 'knowing' crap…

"Believe me, and trust that if something goes wrong, we can handle it," There was a sense of hope within me that I wasn't sure that I'd ever known existed in my heart until now, and it was displayed valiantly in the gentle yet power-ridden tone in which I spoke. I held my hands out to the sides, as if asking for permission to embrace someone. But in this case, I was pretty much asking for permission to go hunting for someone that I wanted nothing more than to embrace.

And that was exactly what I was going to do the moment that I found Koji. I was going to beat off whatever had dragged him out of Sakkakumon if he hadn't already done so, then I was going to run up to that blessed Warrior of Light, wrap my arms around him, and never let him go again. I was going to do everything in my power to convince him that I'd been wrong before, that I'd been stupid, and that he was more important to me than being invincible. And, knowing how power-crazy I was, that was saying something.

"…Well, I'm convinced," Neemon stated finally as he started towards me, lighting up Patamon's face instantly, especially when Bokomon groaned and stomped after him. The white Digimon was obviously not in the mood to be shown up by his yellow friend in the eyes of his 'child'. And hey, if it meant that I got more people to come along with me on this probably-not-going-to-be-so-little trek, then wonderful. I needed all of them to agree to come along, anyway.

A small smile broke onto Zoe's face as she stated with a hint of sarcasm, "Oh, well, if Neemon thinks it's a good idea…" Her tone had a joking air to it, but I saw in her eyes that there was truth residing in it as well. She was willing to go along with me on this wild goose chase, and that made me smile inside. It made me truly believe myself when I thought that we might actually be able to patch things up completely between the two of us. That maybe she wouldn't mind being my sister.

Our friends laughed at Zoe's little quip, and I couldn't help but offer a grin and an 'Only you' shake of my head. We all loved Neemon, of course, but still. The guy had a lot of moments where you could see quite clearly that he was a few tacos short of a fiesta. But that's who he was, and I was glad that it was so. It just wouldn't be right if Neemon acted any differently than he always did. It wouldn't be the same, and not because he wasn't.

"Works for me," Takuya said then with a bit of a chuckle trilling through his words. He started forward to walk beside me with the others following in suit, that same old bright smile on his face. The one that instilled hope and a sense of belonging into anyone that witnessed it. The one that made taking a few thousand blows to the head for him worth it in the end. "Beats standing around yakking!"

I let out a small snort at his words as I turned to continue on, though I was no longer the leader of the brigade since Patamon had shot to the front of the group so he could do all the leading. "And yet that's exactly what you used to do," Shoving my hands in my pockets, I kept my mocking grin strong despite the scowl and glare combo that Takuya was shooting me with. It was the kind of look that you knew should be killing you but thankfully wasn't.

Then again, maybe it wasn't killing me because Takuya knew that I was fully aware of how different he was no compared to before. And he made a note of pointing out that fact to me with a complementary punch in the shoulder. "Yeah, 'used' to." There was a hint of offense at my remark in his tone, but the strike was playful despite how hard it had been. Perhaps he thought that he had to hit me harder than he would others because I was so different compared to them. Most would spirit evolve before a fight, and yet I tended to forget for a moment how necessary that was.

Or he just thought that I deserved it. That was quite possible as well.

* * *

It wasn't until we found ourselves in a dark forest that it became easier to see that we were making progress in our trek. Strolling through that wasteland of rock and dust, there was nothing that didn't look like the thing we'd passed a half hour ago. JP had made that fact very clear. And he'd also made a theory up about how we would all die because I got us lost by going in a straight line.

After he'd finished giving a speech about it, I'd clapped and asked for the others to join in the applause. He hadn't been very amused. But everyone else got a pick-me-up from it, so that was something.

At the current moment, Patamon was trying to mimic Daijiro as the black-haired boy jumped amongst the tree branches like a real-life Tarzan. It was pretty obvious that I wasn't the only one who had gotten a great deal of athleticism from our father's side. I couldn't remember a time when he's shown such abilities, though, and that bothered me. But still, it was pretty impressive watching him now.

If it were anyone else, the thought that they might fall would've crossed my mind and I would've shouted out a warning (he was far enough ahead that I would've needed to shout) or something, but not Dai. There was a strange yet enticing grace and serenity to each and every movement that he made, like the branches bent and swung before him to make sure that he had a place to grab no matter where he put his hand, a solid base no matter where his feet came to rest.

It was totally and completely amazing, to say the very least.

I couldn't help but wonder something, though, and I knew that anyone else in my place would've thought of the same thing. Daijiro and I, we were both Sentinels, and the both of us were built to be fluent and above average in our fighting skills and overall mobility. We needed to be in order to be the very best warriors and protectors of the Ten that we could be. But what I couldn't stop myself from wondering was if I was like that, if each move that I made flowed out from me as if I'd never made a mistake in my life.

I found it hard to imagine myself moving the way that he did; I'd never felt that way before when I fought, let alone when I moved at all. Everything I did felt rough and jagged, not smooth and supple like Daijiro. I could do whatever he could, sure, but I couldn't _move_ like he could. There would always be a thin line between being able to successfully do something, and being able to do it in a way that made that act appear beautiful, perfect in every way. And that was how Daijiro and I were different.

Grace. A word meaning both a kind of internal beauty that was hard to find and an undeserved love, either given or taken. Both definitions described my brother flawlessly. But I felt no jealousy towards him, no sense of life being unfair, nothing. I couldn't feel that way. There was no quality that compared to that my brother possessed, nothing in the world was close enough to even be considered a synonym to what he was.

My thoughts on the subject were simple: Why be envious of something that no one but that one person has? Why want something that only one person in the entire world is capable of having? Why want something that would completely change who you are just so you can have one little quality that you think will make you whole?

Instead of wishing that I was more like him, I smiled inside at reality. And reality made it quite clear that if you didn't have this, or didn't have that, you had to find someone who did and stick with them. Happy people drew in crowds because happiness is the one thing that everyone in the world wants, no matter how they try to deny it. And for me, a loud and unruly girl who tended to be faster to riot and fight than to talk things out sensibly, the quiet, content, cheerful, loving, calm, levelheaded boy who was always ready to smile…that was the person that drew me in.

"Hey, Toshiku?" I glanced over at Tommy, noting a troubled expression on his face. His eyes stared at the ground ahead of him, not daring to look up at me as he asked the first of many, many questions whose answers my friends deserved to know. "…Where did Daijiro come from? He didn't come here on the Trailmon like we did, did he?" Everyone turned and stared at me once this was out in the open. But I wasn't bothered by their gazes.

I kept my own eyes focused on my brother, who was just out of earshot and had no idea we were talking about him. I knew that he wouldn't mind; it was information that the others needed to know, after all. They needed to know just in case something…bad were to happen. Like Cherubimon going back on his word. And, knowing that soulless jerk of a Celestial Digimon, I didn't doubt the possibility for a single second.

So, I began the story. "No, he didn't. The way he got to the Digital World is a complicated process and it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but I only know the gist of things. What happened was that my family got into a car accident, sending everyone but me to the hospital because my Ancient Spirit protected me through…Well, my mother, father, and brother had to go to the hospital and I didn't. That's the main thing.

"I stayed there a lot; I hardly ever left because I was scared of being alone. But I was sent home for the night one day because the nurses were fed up with me staying there, and the next day…I came back and all three of them were gone. No trace. Nothing. The doctors and nurses were all confused but thought that they must've died and their bodies had been taken care of by someone who hadn't said anything. It didn't make sense, but it was the only thing I had at the time, so I accepted it.

"But, in my time here, I learned the truth about what happened to them: Cherubimon. The rotten prick kidnapped them and turned them into Digimon, Sentinels, like me but not at the same time. I didn't realize it right away, and fought the three of them for a long time before it finally clicked a few days ago, when I was away from you guys. I thought that I might be able to do something now that I knew, but…

"My mother was killed; I'm sure, even though I wasn't there to see. My father was killed as well. It happened because he started to remember who he was and tried to help me fight our opponent. Neither of us was strong enough, and my naïve weakness let him die. And as for my brother…I almost didn't save him. Cherubimon took him and…and Raveamon, and made me bargain with him. I had to make a choice, and…now I have my brother back." I trailed off with my eyes still locked on the path ahead of me, my voice still barely rising above a mumble, a tense whisper.

Silence fell over the lot of us, broken only by the happy sounds coming from Daijiro and Patamon. I couldn't stop myself from wondering continuously about how the Warriors would react to this new knowledge. I was pretty sure they knew about Sentimon, Obstimon, and Vigomon, but also knew for certain that they had had no clue about information I'd coughed up just now. They wouldn't reject him now that they knew, of course, but…still. I wondered.

However, I didn't have to ponder their possible reactions for very long. Despite it having been Tommy's question, JP was the first one to make any sort of a reply, even though it was in the form of another inquiry. "…Who killed your parents, then? Cherubimon? Raveamon?" I felt a pang of hurt collide with my heart, and it was all I could do to hide it on my face. In the end, a small lip-twitch was all that made it out.

"JP! Don't be so careless about what you say!" Zoe shot at the Warrior of Thunder, angling her arm in such a way that made it seem like she was threatening to jab him in the side with her elbow. As was becoming custom when he did something that he wasn't supposed to. JP got the point quite quickly and shut up, taking a step away from Zoe as well.

Now that that was taken care of in her mind, Zoe returned her attention to me. Her green eyes were dark with sadness at the new information, and for a moment I thought she might start to cry. "I'm so sorry, Toshiku. I can't believe that Daijiro's all you've got left of your family…It's so sad…"_ …I don't want her to be this sad…I've got to tell her about…the other thing that Raveamon told me…She's gotta know so that she won't be this sad…_

I slowly came to a stop, causing everyone behind me to as well. Staring at the ground as if there was something interesting that had caught my attention, I muttered reluctantly, "…He's actually not…" I wasn't sure that I was doing the right thing. Should I be telling her this so soon? Or should I wait for a time when we could be alone and I would be able to answer all of her doubtful questions without being distracted by the others?

Should I even tell her this at all? What if I was wrong to trust Raveamon's words about this? But it was too late for me to start questioning myself about this. Zoe had already been intrigued by my words and was eager to hear me explain. "What? What do you mean?" I glanced back at her, and instantly regretted doing so. There was such a curious and delicate look upon her face, one that I knew I might break with my news.

I didn't even want to imagine what her face might change to after hearing what I had to say. Hell, she might not even freaking believe me to begin with! It would be more trouble explaining the entire thing to her in a way that it would be simple to understand than it had been trying to collect all of the verres! And there was still the concept of the whole thing being a huge lie that had been used solely to distract me.

In the end, I just couldn't do it. I had risked many things before, and most of those situations had ended up going very poorly. It wasn't that I was afraid of how Zoe would react, of course, I…I was simply tired of things going wrong all the time when it came to anything I tried to do. "…Sentinel stuff. Never makes complete sense to anybody. Forget I said anything."

I couldn't help but feel like a coward for backing out, but this was a touchy, unstable topic. It wasn't something you could blurt out whenever there was a silence. However, I was certain that Zoe hadn't taken the excuse I'd given and was able to tell that there was something bothering me, but she didn't pry. There was a chance that she might attempt to urge me to elaborate later, but she wasn't going to force anything out of me.

"Oh, and JP?" With a glance back at the Warrior of Thunder, I tried to rein in all my mismatched and disarrayed emotions as I answered the question that had nearly cost him a lung. "Yeah, it was Raveamon." A slightly shocked quiet air fell over my friends at the newsflash, but I'd expected such a thing to happen. I mean, when was the last time that you heard about somebody's best friend trying to kill his family?

Despite the delicacy of the conversation, JP was still full of inquiries that truly did need to be answered, but I was in no state of mind to be replying to. Without a serious mental and emotional breakdown following or interrupting my reply, that is. "Does that mean you weren't able to beat her? And she's still running around somewhere trying to kill all of us, too?"

My eye twitched slightly; I pulled my D-Tector into my hand and began to twirl it to calm myself. Second-long flashbacks came to me, each one showing that almost lifeless form of my Human Spirit, hanging in Cherubimon's hand as if she had been chained by the darkness itself, the one thing that seemed to be strong enough to completely subdue her. "No," I spat out shortly. _Even if she could try, she would never get the chance. I would keep her away from you. She'll never harm any of you._

Takuya had just started to ask another question (it had sounded like he was wondering the whereabouts of Raveamon), but was stopped rather abruptly when Bokomon suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, you dense nincompoops! Our friend had to give up her one and only Human Spirit in order to save her one and only brother! It's a very touchy subject and I doubt that she wants to talk about that anymore!" _…Huh. He figured that out quickly._

Everyone glared at the white Digimon for a moment, Zoe muttering his name in a scolding tone as she normally did when someone had done/said something that they shouldn't have. Bokomon didn't seem to notice the problem right off the bat, however. "What?!" Then he realized that he'd just blurted out rather bluntly the very thing that I hadn't wanted to get into. "Oh, right…I'm so sorry, Toshiku—"

"Don't be," I stopped his apology short, not needing the words. I knew Bokomon rather well by now; I could almost sense his regret and guilt over his words. The heavy, dark emotion hung in the air like a fog, a poisonous cloud. I didn't want him to feel badly, I didn't want such feelings with us in a place so void of light and hope already. "It's true, that's what happened. It wasn't your fault, so you don't have to be sorry." I didn't look at the Digimon as I spoke; I didn't want to.

An uneasy silence settled across the lot of us, broken bit by bit only by the happy sounds coming from my little brother and Patamon. But even that wasn't quite enough to break the others out of the thoughts that currently haunted them. Thoughts of my Human Spirit, thoughts of all the things that she'd done, what she'd been able to make me do. It was scary, thinking back. I knew that there was no way I'd ever get over those times.

But, though I couldn't just forget, the others could. They needed to know that.

So, I did something for them that I hadn't in a long time: Sing. " I was in a tunnel and couldn't see the light. And whenever I'd look up, I couldn't see the sky. Sometimes when I'm standing, it seems like I done walked for miles. And my heart could be crying, dead in the middle of a smile.

" But then I climbed the hills and saw the mountains. I hollered 'help' 'cause I was lost. Then I felt the strong wind, heard a small voice saying: The storm is over, the storm is over now. And all I can see is the sunshine, somewhere behind the clouds. I feel heaven, yeah, heaven is over me. Come on and set me free…

" Now in the midst of my battle, all hope was gone. Downtown in a rushed crowd and felt all alone. Every now and then, I felt like I would lose my mind. I've been racing for years, and still no finish line, oh….

" But then I climbed the hills and saw the mountains. I hollered 'help' 'case I was lost. Then I felt the strong wind, heard a small voice saying—" My voice dropped the words and the tune when an unfamiliar yet still familiar singing voice joined me. It was a little quieter than what it would've been normally because of the distance, but there was no mistaking it. I couldn't believe it; Daijiro was singing with me.

I saw him glance back at me, wondering why I'd stopped, and I hurriedly jumped back in to join him. " The storm is over, the storm is over now. And all I can see is the sunshine, somewhere behind the clouds. I feel heaven, yeah, heaven is over me. Come on and set me free…

" Somehow my beginning stepped right in, then faith became my friend. And now I can depend on the voices of the wind when it's saying: The storm is over, the storm is over now. And all I can see is the sunshine, somewhere behind the clouds. I feel heaven, yeah, heaven is over me. Won't you come and set me free? Won't you set me free…? "

It was odd, the way that the final notes echoed into the still darkness, seeming to join the wind as it danced high above us in the trees. It was odd because, though I'd noticed it doing so before, my voice was usually flying solo; it almost never had a companion. It was…nice, I suppose, to hear the ringing of someone else's tune as it trilled along with my own. Especially since it was the trill of my brother.

I saw him smile back at me, almost hear his thoughts though he returned to playing with Patamon. _"It's been so long since I've sung with you, sis! I've missed this so much…" _ I remembered as well, singing little songs with him when we were young, laughing if one of us was to mess up on the lyrics or our young, inexperienced voices were to crack or go off-key. Things had been so…carefree back then. Back when neither of us had been involved with all this Sentinel, DigiDestined crap.

"I missed hearing you sing…" Tommy said in such a quiet, gentle voice that I'd thought for a moment I'd imagined him saying it. JP made a sound of agreement, and I could tell without glancing back at them that everyone else had made some sort of gesture about it as well. It made my heart hurt to think that they felt so strongly about me that even something as insignificant as my singing could be missed.

A lump started to form in my throat, but I rubbed it away with my palm. I would be lying if I said that I hadn't missed moments like this. But, watching as my brother, now alive and breathing and smiling and happy, I wasn't sure which I'd missed more: My best friends or my brother. I knew it wasn't equal, but I didn't know, if given the choice, which I'd pick over the other. I hoped I'd never have to make such a decision ever again, but…a person couldn't help but think about it after it happened once.

* * *

I stared up at Kazemon and Beetlemon as they scanned the land from the sky, my heartbeat slow and steady. I wasn't about to let myself get worked up about this whole Koji-being-freaking-missing thing. I wasn't going to, not a bit. I wouldn't get too hopeful and I refused to think on the negative side of things. I was going to just rush through this without thinking about it at all and trust that whatever happened was bound to happen and it was for the best.

But everyone in the whole world knew that that plan was doomed from the start.

There was not one part of my brain that was even close to optimistic. I didn't think that Koji was gone as in gone (the way that adults sometimes 'explained' death), no, I knew he was alive. I, however, was not sure just how alive he was. There was a pretty big chance that he was at the very least injured, if not, then he might become hurt in the near future, depending on how fast we got to the guy.

I wanted to badly to spirit evolve to Wereraiomon or Shitsurenmon, use my crazy Digimon/Sentinel powers to figure out exactly what his location was, dash off, and find the Light Warrior. I hadn't wanted to do anything so much in my life since…well, I'd really never wanted anything this bad. The only other times that came to mind still had something to do with Koji, for the most part. I was sort of kicking myself for acting so insane now, but that's how it had gone and I couldn't do anything about it now.

But that didn't mean that I wasn't ready to be rid of my sanity right here and now if that meant that I could rush out and find him already. Honestly, this was like waiting for Christmas to finally come, except it was more like what the Whos in Dr. Seuss probably felt like when the Grinch stole all their presents and decorations and tried to ruin the celebration. However, they still had their cheer and light, the true spirit of the festival. I had none of these things without my friend.

"Dying of curiosity down here!" Takuya called up to the lavender butterfly-Digimon, his voice telling me that he shared in my worry for the ravenette. It wasn't surprising to me in the least that he was concerned. Koji was Takuya's best friend right now, anyways, and they became closer and closer with every fight we took part in, just as they grew closer to me and everyone else. We were bound by our blood and our pain. We would always be.

But Takuya was better at controlling himself and his emotions than I was (That's pretty depressing, being second in regards to self-control when compared to a flamboyant hothead). He was, without a doubt, worried sick about his friend, however, he wasn't about to go running all throughout the Digital World turning over every stone and battling any creature that got in his way until he found his friend like I was prepared to do. Like I _would _do if I didn't have others to watch over.

Brought back to attention by the call of her friend, Kazemon dropped her hand from her forehead and looked down, pausing in her scanning of the horizon for the moment. "Sorry, nothing!" She called back to the goggle-head; I heard a sigh come from him, one that said he'd figured as much. "I'm out of ideas. What about you, Beetlemon?" The Warrior of Wind looked to Beetlemon as he floated over to her side.

"No joy." His arms crossed and face angled down, the Thunder Beetle was quite obviously put-out by the lack of headway that we'd made. It was not only Kazemon who had no clue what to do about the situation. As each minute passed, it was becoming more and more clear that not a one of us had even a worm of a plan. My stomach flipped nervously; I was running low on hope, and the others were sure to follow if they hadn't hit that point already. "Koji could be anywhere—or nowhere."

_If he keeps this negativity up, I'm going to smack it out of him so he doesn't freak everybody else out too bad…_ I stuffed my hands in my pockets, stared hard at the ground as I tried to think of something to do now. Daijiro had stopped and had come back to see what the holdup was about, but he'd remained silent so far. He was looking around at all of us, perhaps thinking of something that he could do to help, though there really was nothing.

I felt so guilty, having all of this going on when I should be spending my time training him so that when we faced a more serious fight he would be ready. He'd done very well with Sakkakumon and seemed to remember how to battle from when his Spirit had had total control, but that didn't mean that his mind was strong enough to handle the kind of pain and strife that a Sentinel was practically promised.

I wanted him to be able to get through this mission of ours without so much as a scratch, but I couldn't watch over the Legendary Warriors and my own brother at the same time, not when they would be all over the place. Hell, I could barely guard the Warriors themselves! I was strong enough to protect them, yes, I'd always been. But…but was I good enough? Was Daijiro powerful enough to protect himself, to stand up against all of the pain and keep going like I had?

_He's going to have to be…_ I thought with an internal sigh that was heavy-laden with sadness and hurt. _Because we're going to have to fight together to keep the Warriors safe._ "Patamon, you're too young to be flying off on your own!" Just barely pulled from my mind's wonderings and let-downs, I looked over and saw the orange Digimon struggling to fly off. I was pretty sure he was only going about ten feet per hour, though.

"Yes, because he's definitely going to get ahead of us, Bokomon…" I muttered loud enough for the horned Digimon to hear, my brother covering a smile with his hand upon hearing my sarcasm. I stole a glance at Dai, saw him looking at me with those perfect eyes of his, the eyes that lied and didn't even know it. The flawless pools of emerald that traced every move that I made, tried to learn from every breath I breathed…they hated me and adored me at the same time. I could sense that now.

But I didn't understand it at all. Except for the hating part, that had a pretty obvious backstory and it wouldn't be hard to figure out a reason behind it even if I hadn't been so cruel to him. He may never bring it up until the moment I lay on my deathbed, but I knew that deep inside of him, he would never forgive me for those things. I still strived to gain that blessing, but I knew that I would never grasp it.

And yet, at the same time, he seemed to still love me. He smiled at many of the things I said and hung on every word that came out of my mouth, no matter what it was. He copied the way that I walked, the way that I held and carried myself. I'd noticed it many times and even now he had his hands in his pockets like I did. It was clear that he was trying to learn something from me, probably how to go about being a Sentinel, but…

But if only it was something that could be taught as easily as it was to teach anything else! Each and every Sentinel had brought himself to his prime in his own way, and I still had yet to reach mine. I wasn't well-suited to be showing my brother the ropes when I barely knew them myself, and yet I was the only one who was even able to try. I had to try. But still, I hesitated. And I was almost sure it was because I was still wishing that he wasn't like me, that he wasn't a Sentinel.

Being a Sentinel…it meant that you had to sacrifice more than your time, your blood, your food, and your happiness. It also took your freedom, your right to choose what you wanted to do with your life, and many other things that were priceless, priceless parts of a normal life. All of these things were taken from you for the good of another, and that was why it was all right with me. I didn't mind being busy, being hurt, being hungry, or being merely mediocre because I knew that it was for the greater good. Somehow.

But not my brother. I didn't want him to have to settle for anything when he'd already had to settle for a screw-up of a sister like me. And if, somewhere along this road, I found a way to keep him from such a fate…I would do anything to stop it from coming to light. I would give anything, trade anything, be anything, do _anything_! I just…I didn't want him to suffer…because I knew just how bad it could get.

Assuming from my own experiences and knowledge about Sentinels…there was always a time in one's life that there was nothing that they wanted more than for their heart to stop beating already. Daijiro could never, _ever_ reach that point. I just could not allow such a thing to come to be.

"You might get more lost than us!" Neemon remarked at the Digimon child, his little quip bringing up another problem that I'd been trying to keep from thinking about. I had no idea where we were aside from being in the Dark Continent, and I was positive that nobody, not even Bokomon, had any real clue of where we were beyond what even a blind person would be able to figure out.

However, it seemed that at least one of our issues was about to be solved, judging by Patamon's unexpected words. "But the Light Boy's this way!" My eyes snapped up from the ground at the mentioning of a name that I myself had often called Koji. For a moment I wondered if Patamon had called him that because, while in his egg form, he'd heard me refer to Koji in that way and simply saw that it was a name that fit well.

A sound of confusion came from Takuya, but the orange baby Digimon didn't seem to notice. He was still doing his best to speed-fly as he said in an almost sing-song-like manner, "The Light Boy, the Light Boy, the Light Boy, buddy~!" JP and Zoe returned to their human forms and came to stand on either side of me, joining the 'audience' that was watching as Patamon flew away from us with the lightning-fast speed of a snail. Strapped to an anchor. In cement.

"…Is he saying 'Light Boy'?" JP wondered aloud to no one in particular, a hand on his hip as he stared after the odd little Digimon. He seemed to be voicing the confusion that all of us felt, the befuddlement that was evident on each and every single one of our faces. We would've looked pretty odd if someone were to walk up now and see the lot of us staring puzzled after an incredibly slow Digimon as it moved away from us.

Nobody else appeared to have that thought cross their mind, but one thing that had been brought up in mine seemed to pop up in Zoe's. "Does he mean Koji?" _If I'm not the only one thinking that, then that's gotta be what Patamon's talking about…_ Without another moment of hesitation, I started to follow the young Digimon, the one that would eventually grow up and become the great Seraphimon once more.

Daijiro, who trusted in me far too much for his own good, didn't wait to listen to any more of the others' doubts and instead hurried after me. Tommy, however, still wasn't so sure. "Yeah, but how would he know?" That same thought should've crossed my mind by now as well, but it hadn't. I think it was because I was putting all my hope into the fact that Patamon had once been Seraphimon after all, so maybe he knew what he was doing without having a clue of how he was doing it.

It was like me and Sentinel stuff. I didn't understand how I was doing it, but I knew I could and I was sure I could trust those powers.

"Duh, because it's all bright this way!" Patamon's explanation sounded more like a 'Shut up and just follow me' kind of answer than anything else, but I couldn't help but wonder about it. Did he really see a difference in the lighting? And if he did, could it really be because Koji was in that direction, or, if he was that way, would it be some coincidence or something? There were so many different factors that played in, too many to count, too many to test let alone keep track of.

But, despite all of that, I studied the broad sky before me, the trees that surrounded me, and the forest floor that made up my path. I looked for any noticeable change in color, texture, lighting, anything and everything. At first, I saw nothing. Patamon had to be guessing like the rest of us. He had no idea where he was going; he just wanted to give us a bit more hope by making us think that we had a lead. And, with all honesty, I couldn't blame him.

I was about to look away when something caught my eye. It had not been exactly what I'd been looking for, and maybe that was why it hadn't captured my attention before. Way off in the distance, through the leaves and the trees, the tall grasses and vines of the dark forest, there was something distorting the air in the most enticing fashion. A light was there, almost invisible to the naked eye, but if one searched hard enough, knew what to look for, it was possible to see.

In a way, it was a rather disturbing sight, for the air to be twisting and turning and tearing itself in pieces to avoid the unnatural glow—if one didn't know what it meant. And, trusting in Patamon and my own odd ways of knowing things here in this strange world, I was sure I knew. Koji was that way, and I intended to find him.

Breaking into a run, I passed Patamon by and leap into one of the trees as I'd seen my brother do. I heard someone call after me, but I didn't stop. I continued to leap and climb and pull myself up into the highest branches, needing to know what lay ahead, needing to get some idea of how far Koji truly was from us. I knew the truth might burn a hole straight through my chest, shoot me in the heart with a poisoned dart, but I both wanted and needed to know.

Reaching a thin but sturdy-looking branch, I braced one hand against the trunk of the tree and peered through the dense, almost dead leaves. When I found the rippling light again, a shuddered breath escaped from my lips, my soul crushed. I continued to stare out at the expanse that lay before us even as Daijiro came up to a branch near me, eyes on me with a hue of concern though he wasn't sure what was wrong.

About a half mile of forest sat before us, followed by a cold wasteland of dust, rock, and shrub that stretched for what seemed like an eternity. Far, far away, I could see the outline of some kind of rock formation with holes big enough to allow even MetalKabuterimon inside drilled into the stone. The light was there, beyond the boulder-habitat, or…at least, it had been. I could no longer find it no matter how hard I tried to focus.

"…Toshiku…?" I responded to Daijiro's quiet voice with a noise of recognition, my eyes still not leaving the horizon, the path that we had to take to find Koji. Perhaps unsure that I'd heard him, my brother reached up from his branch and touched my lower calf. Ripping my eyes from the tundra of dust before me, I brought my gaze down upon the Sentinel of Life.

He held my gaze for a moment, two matching sets of green irises in a trance that only a Sentinel would ever understand or be able to feel the power of, but then he turned and stared off into the distance that I too had been crushed by. "…We have to go over there, right? Where that light just disappeared?" My eyes widened in shock at his question; he'd been able to see it, too?

I nodded once as the Warriors began to gather around the base of the tree, staring up at us with anxious expressions. "Well? What do you see?" Zoe called up to the two of us; a pang of bittersweet hurt tore through me at the irony that she would be the one to ask. _Well, that depends on where I'm looking. Over there I see a walk that going to last so long we'll be eighty by the time we get half-way there. But down below, I see my sister, who may never know she has siblings._

In the end, I didn't reply and returned to gazing out over the horizon. After a moment of silence, Daijiro figured that I wasn't about to speak and volunteered to be the Aaron to my Moses, "What should I tell them, sis?" I looked once more at my brother's eager-to-please face, felt that familiar pain, and looked away. I hated it when he worried about me. I wasn't worth his time.

"Tell them we've traveled much farther before. We'll find Koji. We'll find him soon…" And with that, I climbed back down and brushed past my friends in silence as I continued after Patamon. I could hear Daijiro telling the others what I'd told to him, and soon they were following Patamon and I. I couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right, though, and it continued to bother me for the rest of the time that we were in the forest.

* * *

"I'm just saying I didn't know that anyone could waddle and fly at the same time!" JP said with his hands in the air, trying to surrender from the conversation—actually, more like argument—that I'd drawn him into about multi-tasking. Now, thinking back on it, I wasn't sure how we got onto that topic, but it had become sort of vicious due to my temper beginning to ignite.

I knew Patamon was slow. But holy crap, we were _never_ going to find Koji at this rate! May as well send _snails _to go hunt him down! Or freaking rocks!

I cracked my knuckles again as we walked _so slowly_ behind Patamon, our self-appointed leader—for the time being, because he would not be keeping that position if he didn't start moving faster. The snap-like popping sound reminded me of the noise that Gigasmon's nose had made one of the times that I'd been fighting him and he'd been sent face-first into the ground. I grinned; those had been good times, back when the fighting didn't seem to matter.

My throat went dry for a moment and I swallowed hard. I hadn't noticed when it changed, the fighting and battles, but it had. I could see it now, how everything mattered now, be it a single flash from a sword's glimmering side, or an ocean of malevolent darkness that awaited my arrival. It hadn't meant a single thing to me before—this world, everything in it, myself even. It could all fall away, I could die, and nothing would change.

Or so I had thought.

I knew now that there was something that I was supposed to do, that was necessary for me to do in order to finally be able to die—Fate didn't seem to want to let me go unless I figured out what that thing was and got it over with. I wasn't sure if I was even supposed to search for it. Are you supposed to look for your destiny, or are you supposed to wait and go through your life like you would if you weren't waiting? Did it even matter which path you chose?

I wasn't sure, but I knew that one day I would be. I didn't know how or when or what or why, but it would all make sense to me some day in the future. Perhaps it would take years for things to make sense, or maybe it would come to me in the next couple of days, in the next couple of hours. It was doubtful but possible. Anything seemed to be possible in this world.

Zoe scolded JP for his comment after a second, and scowled at me for beginning the entire thing to begin with. Casting her a slightly apologetic glance, I remained silent but inwardly grinned at how odd it was that I was the older one between the two of us, and yet she was almost always the one to be attempting to teach me how to be more…proper. Obviously, she wasn't going to get anywhere with me, but I appreciated that she cared enough to try.

"I can do anything I want!" Patamon exclaimed in response to JP's statement, wiggling his little feet all over the place as he continued to waddle. I think he did that to show JP just how wrong he'd been about multi-tasking, but there was also a chance that he was just being…I don't know. It wasn't even weird anymore. It was just…Patamon.

As if he were reading my mind, Takuya asked in as polite a voice as he could muster at a time like this, "Do you think maybe you could do it a little faster?" There was no words to describe how joyful I was that I wasn't the only one who couldn't stand going so freaking slow. I muttered an inaudible 'thank you, thank you' to no one in particular, which earned me a '…What are you doing?' look from my younger brother.

"Sure!" Holy freaking crap, I can't believe that actually worked! We're actually going to get somewhere now! Finally! "Here goes! Weeeeee!" My hopes were crushed when Patamon surged forward for half a second but then returned to a speed that was almost as slow as or even slower than the one that he'd been going at before. Needless to say, I was ready to snap somebody's neck and gnaw on it until my temper subsided.

Takuya seemed just about as thrilled, but a whole lot less violent. "Yeah, weeee…" His voice was dull and the exact opposite of excited, and those attributes were even evident in the nonchalant way he threw his hands up. He looked like he was on a roller coaster but wasn't enjoying himself, yet was trying to blend in with everybody else so he wouldn't stick out. I'd never seen anything quite like it before, and it was hard not to smile at him.

"I'd hate to see him in slow motion…" JP muttered loud enough for most of the group to hear, though, if he heard, Patamon didn't seem too bothered by the Warrior of Thunder's negativity. Then again, he'd most likely heard a decent amount of it while he was in his egg form, so he was probably used to it like the rest of us by now.

Zoe, trying to keep the peace amidst all of the flaring tempers and headaches, made the first relatively kind suggestion. "Patamon, I'd be happy to carry you if you'd point us in the right direction!" Honestly, I was surprised that nobody else had thought of that. I mean, it had crossed my mind to strap some rockets to the little guy and see how that went, but there was a pretty big difference between carrying and rocket-propulsion.

"No way, this is fun! I'm flying like the wind!" I glanced exasperatedly at Takuya as he let out a defeated sigh. Everyone seemed to have the same realization at the same time: Sure, we would find Koji all right, but there was a pretty good chance that Patamon would've digivolved to Seraphimon and we would be over half dead by then. We'd get to him, but there was no promising that the Digital World would still be around at that point.

My eyes snapped up from the ground when Patamon suddenly let out a frightened gasp and shot back to Bokomon. He pulled back the white Digimon's pink waistband and quickly wiggled inside until only his eyes, the top of his head, and the tips of his wings were visible. Even though everyone was pretty surprised, Bokomon appeared to be the most disturbed by the sudden change of attitude. "Dear, what's wrong?"

Patamon trembled against Bokomon, his voice shaking as he told us, "A bad thing's coming…" The Warriors, having gotten ahead of the creature now that he wasn't in front, stopped and turned to stare at him. There was a confused but intense look in their eyes, a look that told me they were beginning to switch into their Warrior-state of minds. It was a transformation that was actually pretty amazing to watch.

"…A bad…thing?" JP didn't switch over quite fast enough, and the hint of fear in his tone was shockingly noticeable. I could sense that a twinge of that very thing was also residing with the others, but they hid it much better than the Warrior of Thunder seemed able to. I, however, didn't feel so much fear as I did nervousness. What the hell could Patamon be sensing?

Beginning to feel a heaviness drop down upon us in the air, I pulled out my D-Tector and spirit-evolved to my Beast form. I wanted to be ready for whatever it was that the newly hatched Digimon was feeling. "What do you mean?" Tommy asked in a soothing, calm tone, taking a few steps toward the small, frightened Digimon.

Pointing up and off into the distance, Patamon refused to move much farther from Bokomon as he uttered, "…That…!" Then, as if on cue, the shadow of what looked a lot like Cherubimon appeared for a moment over the horizon, blood-red flashes of lightning making a scarlet frame for his body. I growled deeply, the fur on my back beginning to prickle and my black lips pulling back to reveal sharp, snarling teeth.

The hollow-eyed silhouette disappeared just as quickly as it had come, but it wasn't about to leave without giving us a little gift. The darkness that had made up its body clumped together in thin strips, looking strange and ghoulish from this far away, but we soon got a much better look at them—they were heading right for us.

Heart dropping like a steel ball into my stomach and with only seconds to react, I shouted to the others, "Watch out!" Knowing that we wouldn't have nearly enough time to get out of the way, I instead leapt over the group and shielded them with my body from the impending doom. When the blackness, now in the shapes of pillars or obelisks, slammed into the ground, each one shook my body and drug startled cries from the humans I protected.

The earth-trembling and ear-shattering collisions lasted for what felt like hours, but in reality, it had only taken a few seconds for it all to be over. Another couple of moments later, the dust settled enough for me to feel comfortable moving from my spot on top of the Warriors and my brother. I took a few steps to the side and looked around us as the others began to rise and make sure that everyone was all right.

We were completely surrounded by the shiniest, blackest metal that I'd seen. It was cold to the touch, obviously strong. Obviously stronger than what we would be able to break through. While I cussed Cherubimon out mentally for being such a knob all the time, I sniffed around the dark pillars, searching for any crack, any weakness, but found none.

_…So, what now?_

I could hear the group behind me having the same conversation that I'd just mentally had with myself, and decided not to participate in their talk. The Warriors and my brother were working on spirit evolving, hoping that they would be able to bust their way out of here by using all of their attacks at once, and in retrospect, it was a pretty good idea. I didn't think it would work, but hey, I could be wrong.

Knowing how often I was right, I was about to change my mind and attack with them when Patamon caught my attention. The little orange creature had left Bokomon's side, unnoticed by the white Digimon, and had gone over to the outskirts of the little trap that we were in. Looking up into the endless black above us for a moment, Patamon then returned his attention to the ground and began to dig.

"Patamon?" My wolfish face showed as much confusion as was possible as I stared at the young Digimon. I had to call out rather loudly due to the noise of the explosions of the attacks going on above us. "What in the world are you doing? Now isn't really a good time to play in the dirt!" I only half-believed what I'd told him. After all, it wasn't like there was a serious danger barreling down upon us at the moment, so…maybe now was a good time to play in the dirt.

I wasn't saying I _wanted_ to, just stating that if I'd ever want to from this point on…now would be a pretty good opportunity to do it safely. And without the others judging me. 'Cause they were busy figuring out that their attacks hadn't done squat.

The now dirt-covered Digimon turned around and beamed brightly up at me, almost appearing gleeful that he knew something I didn't. "Silly, I'm trying to dig a tunnel!" He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world, and in retrospect, it should've been. I was in the form of a freaking wolf, for crying out loud! _…How did I not think of that?!_ I was about ready to face-palm—or, in this case, face-paw.

"A tunnel?" Judging by the slightly surprised air to his voice, I hadn't been the only one who hadn't thought of the idea. Bokomon and the others, now turning from the wall of pillars that had not even been smudged by their attacks, were obviously just as astonished as I was that the little Digimon had thought up such an ingenious plan.

"Of course!" Aldamon exclaimed, though I half-expected him to add something along the lines of having thought of the idea before but had wanted someone else to stand in the spotlight this time. However, if he ever did say something like that, I planned to kill his attempt by mentioning how he hadn't come up with a good, successful plan since the second day we were in the Digital World. And even then his ideas weren't nearly as bright as his Element.

The Warrior of Wind, hurriedly catching on, began to summarize the entirety of the plan. "If the wall is only ground level…" which Kumamon finished with the climax: "Then we can dig right under it!" A sort of hope flew through everyone, just as it always does when things seem to be at their worst but then are suddenly and unexpectedly turned around.

But I couldn't help myself from drilling a little bit of attitude into the situation. "Are you sure? I mean, we've still got time if you'd like to try and attack the wall again." I directed the statement at no one in particular, and it seemed to have the desired effect on the lot of them, earning me a scowl from some and a sarcastic 'haha, very funny' from others. Daijiro gave me a look that basically said, '…Sis, you're weird sometimes…'

Beetlemon, on the other hand, was too excited about the whole 'we're getting out of this stupid trap' thing to be bothered by me. "Screw that! Patamon's a genius! I take back everything I said about him earlier!" I couldn't help but smile at the change of heart towards the orange Digimon, and he was clearly pleased with it as well. He beamed back at the lot of us, a small, giggly noise escaping him.

"Patamon, how clever of you! I'm so proud of you, I could just cry!" Bokomon uttered in an emotion-strangled voice, holding his arms open for his 'child' to come to him. With a gleeful sound, Patamon glided back over to his parental figure and found himself enveloped in an embrace. The two of them laughed together as they hugged, appearing like a real family for a moment.

The sight brought a small smile to my face, but soreness to my heart, like a hand gripping it, hoping to crush it, make it burst. I could remember a time—it seemed so long ago now—that Daijiro and my parents would hold us like that, like we were the only things in the world that they would ever need to be happy. _But…I guess if Mom had that affair…she wasn't as happy as I thought she was…_

"I forget," Neemon's voice interrupted my downcast thoughts, and I couldn't have been happier to have him cut in. "Which one are you: the mama or the papa?" I stifled a chuckle at the question as I joined my brother and the others in continuing the tunnel that Patamon had started. The going was pretty simple with all of us working together, not to mention the fact that I was like a dog and they kind of did this sort of thing for a living.

"That's actually a good question…" Vigomon gave Bokomon a very freaked out look at the statement, and I couldn't help but laugh at the disturbed expression as I continued to kick back the dirt. I heard a choking sound come from behind me after I'd flung a great deal of it back, and when I turned, I saw that I'd hit Kumamon with the dirt, practically burying him. I laughed again before coming over to help Kazemon dig him back up.

* * *

"I'm gigantic as Wereraiomon, and Aldamon is huge, too! How did we make a hole _this_ small?!" I complained in a strained voice as I struggled to get unstuck. And for the record, I wouldn't have been in this situation if Takuya hadn't gotten excited and popped up beside me in the tunnel's exit. Even then, if it were just him then that wouldn't have been so bad, but Patamon and the other two Digimon had followed his example.

And now we were all freaking stuck.

"It's 'cause Patamon went first and none of us thought it through all the way—Ow! Stop kicking me!" Takuya shot back as he writhed against me and the Digimon, trying to shove one of us to the side enough that he'd be able to move an arm and pull himself out. His plan wasn't going too well, however, and I was attempting to get that thought into his head by pushing him back with my feet whenever he tried it.

"Um, Toshiku?" Zoe's voice called tentatively to me from inside the tunnel. "Do you guys want us to…do something, or…call someone or…?" I could sense that the general feeling going around in the tunnel beneath us was that feeling you got when you're in a serious situation but you just want to laugh at everyone involved. I could actually hear the giggle in her voice, too.

Before I could answer, I felt something pushing me upwards, and even though I wasn't sure exactly who it was that was touching me, I was grateful for the assistance and used the little bit of momentum to claw my way out of the opening in the ground. I sighed with relief when I was finally free, having almost forgotten what it felt like to not be crushed between a rock and Warrior of Flame.

I heard a groan as Takuya followed me and pulled himself out of the tunnel, hurriedly joined by the Digimon, now gasping for breath. They all flopped upon the ground, Takuya sprawling across the earth beside me. Staring at him for a moment, I pushed his hat down over his face as I asked, "Not a fan of small, tight spaces, huh?"

"Only when I'm stuck and I'm being kicked!" The Fire Warrior retorted with a deep scowl as he moved his hat back out of his face, looking as if he wanted to hit me with a big stick or a pole. Not feeling threatened, I merely grinned back and knocked his hat down again, earning an irritated, 'Really? We're gonna play this game?' sound from him.

However, that noise was soon and quite easily overpowered by a deafeningly loud roar that rattled the pillars and shook the ground beneath us. Startled by the sound, I dug my fingers into the dirt, feeling the intense vibrations shake my muscles and body. I'd never felt something so powerful before; it was as if someone actually had their hands on me and was shaking me around. _That…that is incredible…in a bad way._

The others hurriedly scrambled out of the tunnel with alarmed noises, and I stood up from the ground when Daijiro came to stand close beside me. I put a reassuring hand on his shoulder as I stared hard at the horizon, where the sound had come from. There were dilapidated buildings made out of rock in the distance, some of their walls beginning to crumble and fall apart due to the enormity of the wave of sound.

"W-what was that?" JP stuttered weakly as the roar finally began to fade away, though it would never leave our minds. Something that could make a noise like that…even Wereraiomon's vicious roar was nothing compared to that…I couldn't even think of a single Digimon that I'd met that was that…that…mind-blowingly, incredibly powerful, where even the sounds that it made sent a fear unlike any other coursing through your veins.

Tommy gulped before stating what was pretty much obvious, but still hid a meaning that made me shudder on the inside, "Something big…" It would've been clear to someone who was deaf and blind that whatever had just sounded was something that we did _not_ want to get involved with, but the fact that we had to hear that bellow instead of just sensing it…the fact that we had proof that there was something out there instead of just a crazy whim…that's what made it scary.

"'Something big', he says. How 'bout 'huge'?!" The Warrior of Thunder responded to his friend, his fear and want to run as far away from that noise as possible pretty darn evident in his tone. "That can't be a Digimon…" He continued in a muttering voice, staring off into the distance, not trusting his own body to tell him the truth. I had to partially agree; it was unbelievable that something like _that_ existed.

"Of course it can, young man," Bokomon, though still a little startled by the amazing roar that we'd heard, didn't seem as surprised as everyone else had been. After he began to explain a bit more, I saw that I really shouldn't have been that astonish, either. I should've known that anything was possible in a world like this. "Haven't you learned anything in this world? Have you forgotten Sakkakumon so soon?"

I ground my teeth anxiously at his words; the creature that we would soon be facing was not like Sakkakumon at all. He was far stronger, far better in every single way imaginable. I didn't need to see him to know it. A regular, ordinary Digimon could never make a Sentinel like me feel this way, like it would be foolish for me to go into a fight with that being alone and unprepared.

I felt Daijiro tug on the hem of my shirt, and I looked down at him. Bright eyes were now clouded by fear that burned me to see, like hot embers placed on my eyelids. "I've heard that voice before…It's a little different now, but I'd heard it before…" Daijiro mumbled quietly, loud enough so that only I might hear him. "You're not going to try to fight that thing, are you?" His grip on me tightened as his eyes drilled into mine, begging me to answer him honestly.

But I didn't know what to tell him. I mean, I had no desire to fight…_it_, unlike many of the other villains that had crossed my path. Before now, I never would've had a second thought about going after that guy, whoever he was, no matter how strong he seemed. However, now I saw just how foolish I'd been before to go into things so rashly, how lucky I'd been that I'd never been killed.

Luck, though, should never be relied on, especially not when the difference between winning and losing was literally life or death. I had too much to fight for now to be able to go at it so carelessly, what with my brother, half-sister, my friends, and my promise as a Sentinel to the Digital World and all its inhabitants. I couldn't risk all of that on a stupid whim brought on by my own selfish pride.

"I haven't," Takuya, not having heard Daijiro, replied to Bokomon with a direness in his tone. None of them had really explained to me exactly what had gone on while they were actually inside Sakkakumon, but judging by his voice, it wasn't something that any of them would really want to bring up any time soon. "Let's get going. We've gotta help Koji!" On that note, Takuya and the others began to hurry in the direction that the sound had come from.

I stayed back with Daijiro for a moment, though, tightening my grip on his shoulder for a moment when he made a move to follow the others. With both hands on his thin shoulders, I made him lock eyes with me, needing his full attention for what I was about to say. I bit my lip for a moment, unsure how he would take this, but knowing that I needed to say it anyway. He'd pick up on it after a while anyways.

"I will do anything for them," I gestured to the Legendary Warriors with a nod of my head. "And I will do anything for you," My grip on him tightened slightly, and I hoped desperately that he understood exactly what that promise entitled. That he understood just how much I had to love someone to be able to make and keep that promise. And I would keep that promise. "That's why I can't give you a definite 'yes' or 'no' about fighting him.

"Do you understand?" I studied his shocked face for a moment, watching how his eyes stared into mine, how the emotions were so hidden but I could sense them in the air. Daijiro was afraid of something, but it wasn't that Digimon far off in the distance. Maybe he was getting a little frightened by how close I was to him and how serious I sounded now. Or was he just worried about me fighting?

After a moment, my brother nodded stiffly, and, content that he had some grasp on what I meant, I began to rush after the others. However, I was stopped short when the little boy quickly shot an arm out and grabbed the back of my shirt before I got very far. "Wait!" Turning back to him, I was shocked by the emotion in his face. It was like I'd just told him I was going off to war and there was pretty much no chance that I'd ever come back.

"If you do end up fighting…" His grip tightened on me as the boy's face took on a confident, unwavering, 'you'll never convince me otherwise' expression. "If you fight, I'm fighting with you!" A pang of absolute horror struck me at the thought of my brother fighting at my side. My first reaction was to flat out tell him 'no', that there was no way I'd let him put himself in danger for me, but then I thought again.

Daijiro was a Sentinel just like me, so he had to feel a lot of the same things like I did. Like that inexplicable need to protect other people, no matter who they were or what they'd done. If I were to tell him 'no', it would be like doing the same to me, and I not only would be unable to bear such a rule, but would be unable to follow the rule. I would completely disregard it and go rushing off in to battle with the very person who'd told me not to, and we would both end up beat or injured or worse. Somehow, something would go wrong.

But would Daijiro react in the same way I would?

I was unsure, but at the same time positive that all Sentinels had that little bit of stupid in them somewhere. And, with that in my mind, but also the memory of how well Daijiro had fared against Sakkakumon, I gave him a small nod of my head. My answer seemed to surprise him the slightest bit, but he did his best not to let me see that.

Instead, he reaffirmed by answer with another nod of his own before the two of us dashed after the Legendary Warriors. Even as we caught up to them, though, I couldn't stop thinking about that intimidating roar and what Daijiro had said. I didn't know what that Digimon was going to end up being, I didn't know what was going to happen when we found out what it was (if we even would find out), but I was really hoping that we wouldn't learn any of that. I had a bad feeling about it, and I didn't want to have to let Daijiro fight something like this right off the bat.

My thoughts were shaken suddenly from my mind when a huge explosion was set off where those rock formations were. The ground beneath our feet trembled so violently that the tremor almost knocked JP right off his feet, and the cloud of smoke that enveloped us momentarily blinded us, though we didn't need to be able to see to know what was going on.

There was a battle ahead. A _big_ one.

JP seemed to sense this, but was a lot more clear with how unhappy about it he was. "Why can't it ever just be an earthquake?!" He cried out to no one in particular, though at a moment like this, even if it had been directed at someone they wouldn't have answered him anyways. If they had, it probably would've been Zoe scolding him about not being serious about all this.

"But Koji's there!" Tommy said above the noise that still echoed out into the distance from the explosion. The truth of his statement burned hot in my ears and flowed like lava down into my lungs, heart, stomach, soul, and every other part of me, fueling me like oil splashed onto a blazing fire. I wasn't really sure if it was my Sentinel instincts or just the feelings that I still undeniably had for Koji, but there was something there.

I had to find Koji _now_.

I heard Takuya shout Koji's name, but it didn't completely process in my head like it should've. Instead, I tore into a run that was far, far faster than what any of the others could muster up. I thought for a moment that Zoe had called after me, but if she had, I ignored her. Koji was here; I could feel his presence like he was standing right next to me. He had to be here!

Motion and a flash of color caught my eye. There was a noticeable change in the atmosphere when my eyes rested on the Warrior of Light for the first time in days. The feeling that rushed through me at the sight of him…it was indescribable. It was beautiful, it was perfect, it was lovely, it was everything admirable and honorable and wonderful…

But it was hard, too. It hurt more than if someone were to stick a knife in my heart and twist it.

Koji and I weren't together anymore. I wasn't supposed to feel these feelings anymore. It meant only bad things for the both of us, I knew, but...but when everything around you changes with just one glimpse of somebody…you can't just let that go, can you?

I didn't know. I did know that I didn't want to, but that I had to. It was the right thing to do.


	33. Chapter 31: Lights Out

**Ugh, this took way too freaking long to get out, gosh, guys, I'm so sorry about that. If it makes you feel any better a gigantic bug rammed into my computer screen in the dark during this last writing session and it scared the crap out of me. I thought I was going to die for a second, seriously.**

**Anyway, this chapter has a lot from ep. 31 and that's mostly talking, so that was really rough to get through writing-wise, and everything after that was just bad planning on my part. I didn't have a very clear picture of what I wanted to do with the thing until I got to the end of it, and then I wasn't sure where to break it off from ep. 32 because I started to go into that ep. too. So, next chapter is probably going to be a bit longer since I might have to combine the rest of ep. 32 and then 33 as well. So we'll have to see how that goes lol.**

**Once again, sorry that this took so long to get out. I don't even want to think about how long I made you guys wait, but I hope that you're happy that this chapter is finally up :) Enjoy the read and please review and let me know what you thought!**

* * *

Chapter 31: Lights Out

Everything felt right for a moment as I ran over to the boy who had driven so much darkness from my heart, and nothing seemed wrong at first when I finally reached him and went to hug him. My joy was unparalled; there was no one on either world who could've ever been happier to see someone alive and well than I was at that moment. It was like finally reaching the peak of the mountain that had attacked you with avalanches and blizzards for months.

But remembering that I couldn't hug him was like being punched in the face just before you reached the top, and tumbling all the way back down to the bottom again. My joy burned up like dead leaves in the fire that still raged within my heart, the fire that I had to ignore. The happiness I felt at seeing the ravenette suddenly tasted bittersweet.

I stopped short of actually hugging him and pulled myself back a few feet. It was like when you were watching a movie and the moment that you'd been waiting an hour to watch was finally starting, but then the characters just stop. That perfect moment never hits the high point that you were waiting so long for, and it doesn't feel right without that climax.

And neither did being with Koji again.

I did my best to hide the soreness I felt inside as I forced a grin and said quietly and with all honesty, "I'm so glad to see you here again." Most people would've said that they were happy to know that he was really all right, and I was, of course. But that wasn't enough for me to be able to put my heart at rest. I needed to know that he was more than all right, and only his presence could give me that peace of mind.

Koji returned the small smile after a few moments, obviously and understandably startled by my reaction to him. I could feel his eyes searching mine for something as he spoke, "It's good to see you, too, Toshiku. I thought you might not come back for a while there," I relished the sound of his voice more than any other noise in the world. It would be impossible for me to tire of hearing him, seeing him, being with him.

I needed him, all of them, didn't I? That was what I'd learned while off on my own, right? So that was why I could never grow sick of the Warriors; you shouldn't want to leave alone something that you need more than the very air that you breathe. And that was what they were to me: The oxygen that kept me sane, kept me alive. They would always be with me, even if I couldn't see them, just as no one could see the air.

"I've told you before, I can't stay away. Not when I belong with you," My face turned a little red and a sheepish grin crossed my face as I realized how he would take what I'd just said. I quickly started gesturing at the other Warriors as they finally got over to us. The shaking in my voice couldn't be hidden as I tried to explain myself. "W-well, you know. I mean…you know…you, them, Digimon, everybody…"

The raven-haired boy smiled briefly at my flustered nature and nodded. "Yeah, I know. You've always been pretty straight-forward when you tell the truth, haven't you?" I paused for a moment at his words before I let out a small scoff and shook my head in disbelief at his subtle insult. But I couldn't help but grin; Koji knew exactly where to hit me and exactly how hard he could. He knew how much I could and would take.

I put my hands in my pockets as I felt the others' presences draw near. "You'll be happy to know that I'm better. I've had several opportunities to lie today and I haven't taken any of them!" I smiled when my quip earned an exasperated shake of the boy's head. It was nice to be able to bother him again; I'd forgotten how much I loved to. Not to mention how good at it I was.

"Koji!" I turned as Takuya ran up to the two of us, the other Warriors and my brother trailing. He panted for a moment before the words fell rapidly from his mouth, needing to be spoken faster than what his tongue allowed. "Are you okay?" That single question seemed to sum up most of the wonderings of the group, and it was eerily quiet as all ears awaited Koji's reply.

But Koji didn't give much to their itching ears. "…Yeah," He replied softly, as if his mind wasn't here with us like his body was. I shrugged his distance off at first, figuring it was natural to be in this sort of shocked state after all that he must've been through, what with Duskmon and Sakkakumon and everything else that was trying to kill us in this world. Being alone with it made things even worse, too.

"That's good news," My half-sister chimed with a rather generous touch of relief. I hadn't really wondered much about how the other Warriors had reacted to being without one of their own; I'd been too focused on my duty to protect them all and keep them together to really ponder their feelings on the situation. I could only imagine what their bond must be like; what I felt for them was probably the most intense thing that a human could feel.

Love, hate, desperation, longing, the need to survive…it was like a mix of everything good and strong with a heavy dose of something bitter and feeble, something that would keep you coming back for more and more, make you so sick inside that you needed them to stay alive. But maybe it wasn't making you sick. Maybe that feeling...maybe it made you _real_. Alive. Like you belonged with those people or creatures.

Or was I the only one who felt it? "Yeah, we all heard that huge explosion and thought that maybe you were in it," The Warrior of Ice added with a small gesture to both Koji and the gigantic crater behind him. I glanced down beside me when my brother made a sound of awe at the incredible sight. The wonder caused his eyes to glow, and I watched it slowly grow as the conversation continued.

"Well, I kinda was," Koji said it as if he'd merely been telling someone that he'd been standing where they were and had been shoved out of the way. Though he probably would've said it with a bit more force in such a situation. At the moment…he sounded rather…out of place, out of his element. Something dark was on his mind; he wanted it to be the only thing.

Was I the only one noticing it?

A hint of concern touched Takuya's face, along with a healthy dose of curiosity. "You were? What happened?" Daijiro's head snapped to stare at Koji, eyes so fixated on him that I was sure that the Warrior could feel his stare like a knife in his chest. I was sure he didn't mean to be so…pointed, but I rested a hand on his shoulder anyway, gesturing for him to tone it down a bit when he glanced up at me.

He nodded quickly, eager to please, but his attention was drawn back to the Warrior of Light as soon as he began to explain what had happened, albeit, not with much detail. "It was Velgemon. He used Cherubimon's power to evolve from Duskmon and attack." My eye twitched at both the familiar names. I did my best not to think about the third Digimon that those names reminded me of.

Instead, I focused on what Koji had unfurled for us: Duskmon had a new evolution, a Beast, by the sound of it. That meant nothing but bad news for us. The tainted Warrior of Darkness had been inconceivably strong before just with a Human Spirit, so I didn't want to begin to imagine how much stronger he could be with a Beast Spirit.

I was pretty sure that it was a good sign that Koji had only needed a Fusion Spirit to fight him and survive, but who was to say if luck had anything to do with it? Or if Duskmon/Velgemon had simply been having an off-day as far as fighting went? There were all kinds of factors that could've played into the battle, and I didn't feel safe overlooking any of them.

While Takuya exclaimed something about being fed up with dealing with Duskmon, my attention was drawn away from the Warriors by a strange feeling. I glanced down at Daijiro, figuring it was one of those Sentinel-feely things, and found him staring hard at the horizon beyond the crater. He looked as if he were watching, searching, for something specific, though even he wasn't quite sure what.

I tightened my hand on his shoulder questioningly, and he gestured with his bright eyes toward the skyline. His thoughts were too scrambled and unsure of themselves for me to be able to tell exactly what he was asking me, but they seemed to center around Velgemon. Whether or not we were supposed to go after him for getting after Koji.

I couldn't deny that the thought was appealing. It would be nice to get all the trouble with Duskmon sorted out before he caused any serious problems that would be very difficult to fix, such as hurting one of the Warriors. He was also the last of the evil Legendary Warriors, so it would be best to purify him before any more harm to the Digital World was brought about through him. His defeat would also mean Cherubimon would have one less minion.

But Daijiro and I couldn't leave the other Warriors alone for that long, and that was assuming we could find Duskmon and defeat him at all. If he'd been too much for a Fusion to defeat alone, then maybe he would prove to be too much for two Sentinels, though it was sort of doubtful with how I kept seeing it being played out in my head. I had Shitsurenmon and Daijiro had a Beast, so we probably stood a good chance.

However…would Cherubimon find a way to interfere with the fight somehow?

I shuddered internally at the first thought that crossed my mind, the method that he would most likely choose to distract me with. The person he would choose. All those negative thoughts overshadowing what good it would do to go on a wild goose hunt, I shook my head briskly at my brother, my thoughts going through all the bad that could become of such a decision.

He frowned slightly at my reply and continued to stare off into the distance, his attention switching between Koji and the horizon periodically. He seemed a little nervous; I was waiting for a good time to cut in and introduce him since Koji had been oblivious to his presence. The ravenette beneath my hand was apparently doing the same, though I wasn't sure he was bold enough to introduce himself.

Bokomon was in the middle of praising Koji, but he didn't seem to be enjoying it much. "My boy, there aren't many who can stand up to Velgemon and still walk away. I'm flabbergasted!" The white Digimon's voice was elated, face bright, but after Neemon chimed a little '_Gesundheit_!' his face darkened and the familiar sound of a snapped waistband resounded in the short silence. I tried not to smile.

"Yeah, I guess…" The Light Warrior mumbled distractedly, speaking mostly to disguise his other thoughts, to make sure that Bokomon knew he'd been heard. He didn't seem quite as impressed with his feat as everyone else seemed to be; I was just happy that he'd come out of it relatively unharmed. Koji turned his face away from Bokomon for a moment, and I saw the surprise slap onto his face when his eyes caught sight of Daijiro.

The boy immediately took a step closer to me when the ravenette's full gaze turned on him, moving back and forth between the two of us and instantly seeing the similarities. "…Toshiku, who is that?" Judging by the look on his face, Koji already had a pretty good idea of who the child standing beside me was, but he still had to work past what I'd told him about my family, how I thought they'd all died.

Daijiro looked up at me unsurely, so I cast him an encouraging smile as I nudged his shoulder. He took a breath before taking a step forward, straightening himself up as much as he could to appear taller, puffing out his small chest to seem more warrior-like. "My name is Daijiro Yumari, Sentinel of Life. It's nice to meet you…Koji," He said the older boy's name tentatively, as if he wasn't certain that he was allowed to.

Koji glanced at me once for such a mature answer, and I shrugged at him, still smiling slightly as I mouthed, 'Just roll with it.' The ponytailed Warrior took my advice. "So you're Toshiku's brother, then?" Daijiro nodded quickly and a small smile slipped onto Koji's face. "I never thought I'd actually get to meet you. I'm glad I did." My brother nodded again, flushed with embarrassment, as he hurried to my side again.

I smiled slightly at his reaction, imagining that his mind was a mess of nervous wonderings and worries that should've held no ground in his head. He'd always been this way around new people, hadn't he? I didn't remember him being much of a social butterfly, though people always seemed to love him as soon as see him. Not everyone, but most good-natured people.

Attention was drawn away from Daijiro when Patamon floated over to Koji with a bright smile and cheery eyes. "Well, hello there!" The ravenette looked up with surprised eyes and let out an unprepared grunt as Patamon dropped out of the sky and into his arms. I felt a pathetic pang of jealousy burning in the back of my brain as the boy's arms wrapped securely around the young Digimon.

I did my best to pretend that it hadn't been real as Koji asked with wide eyes, "And who are you?" It took me a second to remember that Koji hadn't been with us when the egg hatched, that _I _almost hadn't been around when the egg hatched. Nor had he been there to see Sakkakumon destroyed. I'd have to fill him in on that when we started off again.

"I'm Patamon!" The orange creature declared, still beaming his usual light-filled smile. The entire Dark Continent was made just a little brighter simply by his presence, I was sure of it. At this very moment, some Digimon that called this place home was trying to figure out why his humble abode seemed different somehow. Hopefully we would be gone before any troublemakers found out the reason.

Since a name alone wasn't going to explain enough, Takuya took a step forward and stated with a smile at Patamon's cheerful greeting, "He hatched out of Seraphimon's Digi-Egg." 'Hatched' was more of a loose term. A more accurate statement would be 'He exploded out of Seraphimon's Digi-Egg. It was funny in a kinda traumatizing way, you know?' But that would've taken more time to explain, even though it felt as if time had completely stopped.

"It's because of him that you were able to fusion evolve to BeoWolfmon," Zoe explained further with a small smile. I wasn't sure if anyone had mentioned that Koji was able to do that fusion evolution thing like Takuya could. But from the way that she said it, it sounded like they were the only two who were capable of accomplishing such a feat. I would have to ask later how it had come about.

Koji didn't seem to have any questions about the incident, though. "So, that's what it was," His voice was wondering, reminiscent, as he clearly thought back to the moment that it had happened. I could scarcely imagine how surprised he would've been at that moment, possibly the moment he'd needed assistance the most, and he got it. A wish granted, a miracle rendered.

A smile lit up his dark eyes for a moment, though the glint didn't stay for very long. "Thanks, little guy." I stared at that bright smile for much longer than I should've and with much more intensity than what it should've deserved. Three words and a grateful grin shouldn't have mesmerized me like they did. And maybe by themselves they wouldn't have. Maybe if it had been someone else they wouldn't have.

But they hadn't. It was him. Koji. And looking at him for the first time in what felt like years, even if we weren't together anymore, it should've been the best feeling in the world. In either world! But it wasn't; it was the worst. Despite that smile, despite the quiet…I felt like something was wrong. And the longer I watched him, the deeper I searched…the more I began to wonder.

What had he been doing while he was away from us? Had he simply been fighting and wandering and being subjected to the lies and black truths of enemies like I had? Judging by the look on his face, that had to have been it. But… My face crumpled in concern as I wondered about him. _What had he been told? Who had he been forced to fight?_

"It's my pleasure," Patamon chimed, completely unperturbed and completely unaware of the thoughts pouring into my head, thoughts that Koji wouldn't be happy to know I was thinking. The small Digimon's usual gleeful smile was the perfect, shining symbol of his innocence, of the innocence of the Digital World. An innocence that had been taken.

But one that I prayed could be returned, and maybe it could. Bokomon reminded me of a place that could help it get there as he said in glad disbelief, "I can't believe I can finally say this, but now that Koji's here we can head to the Rose Morning Star!" The Rose Morning Star. The mysterious place that Ophanimon had called us to go to. I tried not to think too much about what could await us there, though I knew I should try to be prepared for anything.

But for the moment, we appeared safe. And I didn't think much more about where we had to go. But I couldn't help from thinking more about what that distracted Warrior of Light was thinking.

While Takuya switched into leader-mode and said something encouraging about heading out right away, then began to banter a bit with JP, my attention stayed with Koji. He was staring out over the horizon again, not seeming to remember that there were people with him. He mumbled under his breath in a stressed tone, "What did she mean…?"

I didn't know who he meant by 'she', and I didn't ask aloud. The only 'she' that I ever thought about was most definitely not who Koji was thinking about, but perhaps he meant Ophanimon. She had been telling us a lot of stuff that probably didn't make sense, so maybe he'd gotten a call of some kind while he was away. Perhaps that was why he seemed so out of it all of a sudden.

Leaving Daijiro's side briefly, I moved to stand beside Koji, who barely even registered that I'd moved at all. I rested a hand on the boy's shoulder, the awkward feeling that had kept me from touching him before now all but gone. It didn't matter if we weren't together. It didn't matter if there ever came a time when he didn't want to be friends. I had to be there if he ever needed me, and he needed someone now.

I'd promised to be there, and I would keep that promise no matter what. Sentinel or not. Awkward or not. Together or not.

Dark blue eyes clouded by thousands of unanswered questions looked to me as I quietly said, eyes facing the horizon when Koji's tried to meet mine, "There are some questions that we have to answer by ourselves, and others that we need each other's help to solve. I won't keep you from making your own decisions—"

"But you'll follow if I have to go. I know you will." He muttered the true words without a single trace of doubt, and I couldn't help but smile. Koji knew me very well. He grinned slightly as he continued, "Even if I tell you not to you'll still come. You'll just stay back a bit more, enough that you'll think I don't know you're there."

My smirk was wide and comfortable, heartbeat slow and calm, mind feeling incredibly stable for the first time in a long time. I felt good next to Koji. "Yeah, that's about how it'll go. But do you know why I do crap like that?" I assumed that the Light Warrior would be able to guess quite quickly at the answer, though I had a feeling that his first guess would be wrong.

Koji's smile faded and the distant look returned within seconds. "Because it's your job." My smile didn't waver even though my thoughts wandered briefly to when I'd made it very clear that I did all that I did because it was my duty to do so. And, honestly, it was. But there was more, and I saw that now, so that was why I'd known Koji would guess incorrectly.

I shook my head, still grinning, pleased with myself for surprising the Warrior of Light. He gave me a curious glance, a wordless gesture to explain, and I met his gaze with a fire I could not control burning within my own. "Because I'm your friend." I didn't ask for him to confirm it; I knew that I was. Though he seemed taken aback by the new response, he appeared to like it.

Koji smiled for a brief moment before his thoughts were captured by his wonderings again. He nodded to himself, muttering, "He must have answers for me…" before handing a perplexed Patamon off to Zoe. He then dashed off without another look at any of us, knowing that I would keep the others at bay until he was far enough along on his little trek. Knowing I would be along to join him shortly.

It didn't take long for Takuya to react to Koji's sudden and unexpected actions. He made a move to follow him immediately, and I put out an arm to stop him. "Hey, where are you going?!" The brunette shouted after the long-haired Warrior, receiving no kind of reply. "Koji, come back!" But Koji didn't call anything back, and he didn't turn around.

As I sighed and prayed that Koji would be safe until I was racing after him, Takuya turned his heated and confused eyes upon me. "You were standing right next to him! Why didn't you stop him or something?" I glanced back at the others briefly and saw that he was probably speaking what all the others were thinking. My eyes wandered instinctively down to Daijiro, but saw some kind of understanding there. He was trying to guess why I'd done what I had, but I couldn't tell if he had the right answer or not.

When I spoke, his expression didn't change; I wasn't sure if he really understood or not. "I let him leave because he needed to," I said with a heart swelling with hope that Koji's path wouldn't be as strewn with pain and misery as mine had been. Takuya didn't seem to understand completely what I meant, but he didn't question my choice and neither did the others.

"Wow, you sure know how to make 'em run!" Neemon easily broke through the seriousness of the moment, and I joined him in watched Koji race away through the rocky terrain until he was out of sight. The boulders and debris were tall and wide enough that they could've hidden Sakkakumon in some places, especially where the elevation dropped. Not being able to see him made me a little uneasy.

JP sighed with irritation as the ravenette disappeared. Many of the group seemed to share in his exasperation, Bokomon in particular. The white Digimon seemed like he was about to rip his hair out—well, he'd have to do it to someone else since he didn't have any hair, really. "Man, we're never gonna get to the Rose Morning Star now…" The Warrior of Thunder whined with a grimace.

I puffed out a sigh through my nose and gave a reassuring grin to the two of them. "We'll get there. What's a couple more detours, right?" My contented shrug nor my words won over either of the two. It was clear that all this 'wasted time' was starting to eat away at their insides, though I didn't think that it was as wasted as they thought. If Koji needed it, then there was no way it was being wasted.

"Well, maybe he thinks we're supposed to race each other there!" Neemon's quip didn't put anyone at ease, and Bokomon glared at him. I heard some mumbled words in a language I didn't know flowing from the pink-waistband-wearing Digimon's mouth. I wondered briefly if he was speaking in the Digimon language, something he rarely ever did since he always translated the book for us when necessary. _Maybe I should learn some…_

Patamon didn't seem convinced by his 'Uncle' Neemon. "He was thinking hard about something…" The small orange Digimon in Zoe's arms stared off where Koji had disappeared, eyes still as perplexed and worried as they had been when the ravenette had handed him off to his fellow Warrior. I measured the concern in those deep green irises for a moment before I decided I'd waited long enough.

Turning my face down, I rested a hand on Daijiro's shoulder; he looked up at me quickly, eagerly waiting for whatever I had to say. He read the words in my eyes before I could say them, and he looked a little downcast to see that I was leaving. Nervous. "Keep watch here with them. Stay with them, keep them safe and together." Fluffy black hair wiggled up and down fervently as he nodded.

I felt a tender smile creep onto my lips as I rested my hand on that soft hair, heart wanting that light in his eye to be a happy one and not a fearful one, though my mind was unsure which it really was. "I'll be back with him as soon as I can. Until then, you know how to reach me," I tapped myself on the forehead and he slowly returned the grin. I was glad to see it had a bit of confidence in it.

My hand fell from him then and I started off after Koji, the little part of Wereraiomon that always stayed within my human body surfacing so I could follow his trail. I almost didn't hear JP's pessimistic whining. "Yeah, probably planning his escape from us…Hey, wait, where are _you_ going?" His tone changed to one of slight dismay when it was directed at me, and I cringed. Had I really expected them to not notice when I started to walk away?

I hesitantly turned back around to face them, doing my best not to look guilty since I really hadn't done anything wrong. "I'm gonna follow Koji. I'm gonna let him do his own thing for the most part, but we can't split up." Their stares were incredulous, aside from Daijiro, and that bewildered me. "…Guys, I wander off all the time. Just take a—"

"You're not going by yourself," Takuya cut me off, voice making him sound like he was going to put up quite the fight to keep me from trekking after Koji on a little solo mission. I took a deep breath to keep my aggravation in check; Koji was bound to be pretty far now, I had to get going. Holding my hands up, ready to explain and pacify the brunette, he interrupted again. "Not without adding me to the party, at least." He grinned and I couldn't help but return it.

Nobody else really seemed to share our lighthearted attitude about the situation. Tommy was the first to object to my and Takuya's decision to track the Warrior of Light. "You can't leave, too!" The Ice Warrior vehemently denied our apparent 'request' to leave, eyes expressing how his mind was spinning around every way that our leaving could end badly.

"Yeah, it's just like a scary movie," JP added, sounding completely serious despite the odd method he was using to keep us with the rest of the group. Zoe let out an exasperated sound as the words had come from his mouth, Daijiro watching the scene with a kind of intense interest that no child his age should be able to summon. Tommy seemed surprised, while Bokomon and Neemon were eager to hear him explain.

Takuya, just as shocked as me and everyone else, was the one to break out the question that would give JP the opportunity to explain, the question that each of us was thinking. "…It's like a _what_?" The Fire Warrior's tone made it sound like he thought he'd merely misheard his chocolate-loving friend, but deep down he knew he hadn't. A boy could hope, though.

JP waggled his finger in a warning fashion at the two of us, eyes stern and utterly serious, "Never forget the horror movie rule: The Boogeyman strikes when no one can hear you scream! That's what happens every time someone goes off on their own. You break the rule, and you're toast." Takuya stared at JP for a second, then looked at me for confirmation on what he'd heard, and went back to staring at JP when I'd been unable to respond. Too busy trying not to laugh at the ludicrous knowledge that this was liable to happen to us. To Koji.

Daijiro didn't seem too impressed by the Thunder Bug's logic. A finger tapping his chin, my brother analyzed JP's words and found a flaw in his reasoning. He wasted no time in pointing it out, and the innocent way that he did made me smile inside and out. "But they're going together, so they won't be breaking the rule." My brother, the horror movie referee.

Before Takuya or JP could express his irritation with anything more than his face, I stepped in. "There's another problem with your theory, JP…" I turned away briefly to mess up my hair (more than it already was) and smear some of the dirt around on my face. Then I hunched my shoulders and spun around with my mouth in a grotesque shape, my tongue sticking out, and I reached for him while making guttural noises. "_I'm_ the Boogeyman!"

That certainly changed the topic.

"You know, you're really not that scary," Tommy said, cocking his head to the side to get a better look at me. He stared for a minute before stating his conclusion: "You're kinda like a pit bull—they don't mean to be mean, it just depends on the owner." I had to admit that that was pretty insightful coming from the Warrior of Ice, though I wasn't sure if he meant that they were my owners or if I was a good person and owned myself.

I was hoping he meant the second, since I wasn't sure what being a human/Digimon pet really _meant_. Since 'pet' can be used in so many ways…and a bunch of them weren't exactly _good_. Either way, Daijiro seemed to think the comparison was humorous and he snickered, so the kind of pet that I was didn't bother me much.

There was a bit of silence at the just how odd that whole moment had been, everyone looking back and forth at everyone else, trying to decide who the one to get us all back on topic would be. Eventually, Lightning Bug nominated himself. "…Yeah, she's a peach," JP said with a touch of aggravation. "Now, back to the serious business—"

"Nothing's going to happen, JP," Takuya soothed his friend's temper with a purr, though it quickly turned into something more similar to a taunting quip. "And besides, if anything does happen, I don't think that I'll be in that much trouble with the Boogey-lady on my side." He offered me his hand to fist-bump, and I gave it to him without so much as a single thought crossing my head. I wasn't even sure that I'd willed by hand to do it.

JP didn't seem comforted by Takuya's words or the obvious confidence that the two of us displayed. In fact, it seemed to only make him angry, angry that we weren't taking his warning as something serious. "Fine, go," He hissed between clenched teeth, hands fisted at his sides. I fought off the sting of guilt; Takuya and I were doing the right thing. JP would have to see that eventually, they all would.

"C'mon guys, let's not fight over nothing," My half-sister finally joined the conversation, of course, acting as the reasonable, peaceful one. The responsible mother hen that this group of misfits needed in order to keep from ripping at one another's throats on our not-so-great days. I gave her an appreciative smile; it was good that at least one person saw that we needed to go.

Calmed enough to cast a genuine, confident smile back at our friends, Takuya continued the blonde's peace-making. "Zoe's right, there's no need to get riled up. You guys just wait here, we'll go get him, and be back in a jiffy!" Knowing that there would never be an end to the other Warriors' attempts to get us to stay, Takuya gave my shoulder a shove in the other direction before he ran off.

I followed him on quick feet after glancing at Daijiro once more, trying to convey confidence to him. He didn't appear all that nervous, really, so I hoped that he would be able to handle the others until we returned. Whenever we returned. I could only guess at how long we would be away.

Bokomon was hoping for a short trip rather fervently. "It better not be a _long_ jiffy…" I gave a small laugh at the pinch warning in his tone, something he didn't appreciate very much. But it wasn't my fault that he made it sound like he'd do something horrible and twisted to us if we took too long coming back. I mean, we could outrun him pretty easily so there wasn't much to worry about.

But there was a lot to worry about in the world that we were in, so I hoped this trek wouldn't be too long as well.

Takuya and I ran for some time, long enough for us to be out of the others' sight, far enough away and so hidden in the rocks that we couldn't see them either. It was then that we figured we could start walking, thinking that we'd have to be careful tracking Koji. If we rushed we might mess up on his trail and head way off course. Someone could get lost or hurt, or even stranded apart from the other person if we made the slightest mistake.

I constantly scanned the area, watching for any sign of Koji, any sign that the path we were on was a frequently traveled one, anything that might tell me who or what usually hung around these parts. The dirt made a clear trail to follow, but it was hard for me to focus on it for very long. My eyes were soon watching the dark clouds, trying to figure out if there was something up there aside from them. I felt motion in the air, but I didn't see anything aside from Takuya and me.

My search and all my uneasy feelings were set aside when the brunette striding beside me decided to break the comfortable silence with a topic that wasn't as comfortable. "So…what's up with you and Koji?" The pain and discomfort on my face made him rephrase his wonderings. "It's just…it was weird that you weren't all…touchy like you normally are. You're normally all…" He made several petting and caressing gestures, as if stroking an invisible person's face.

While Takuya tried to word his question in a way that would get rid of the awkward expression I wore, I thought about how I was supposed to go about explaining this. Would Takuya be able to understand my reasoning for distancing myself from the Warrior of Light, how at the time I'd been afraid that my emotions would be the undoing of us all? Or would he think me a fool, like I now knew I was?

I sighed, feeling trapped. _May as well practice with honesty. _"Listen," I had to slap a hand over the shorter boy's mouth to get him to see I was already answering. I let it fall back to my side again when I saw I had his attention. "It was something I decided a while back, and now it's too far gone for me to go back on my word. It was before I went off on my own, so my head wasn't where it should've been.

"I noticed that in a lot of the fights I got into, it was because I either hadn't controlled my emotions well enough before the fight began, or I was reacting violently to protect something or someone I felt strongly about. My temper was out of hand, I was starting to feel apathetic, and I didn't know what to do about it. I felt really lost and out of control. I just didn't understand anything anymore.

"After that fight with Duskmon, when you disappeared, I ended up in a different part of the Dark Continent. I was with another Digimon, and she was trying to warn me about…some stuff, but we were out of time. I transformed into something…something so demonic that I really hate talking about it, and Koji showed up and had to stop me. He did, but…you don't realize how close I came to killing him that day.

"It was after that last fight with him that I knew I had to put some space between us. I was getting too dangerous, being a Sentinel was becoming much more than I thought it would. I was starting to think that there was something very, very wrong with me, and I didn't know what to do about it yet. That was when I left the group. That was _why _I left the group, because I had to find a cure for myself before I hurt anybody any more.

"When I was away, I met up with those three Digimon that I let you guys know about before, the ones I called the Three. They were just as confused and upset as I was, and when I fought them I learned why: Sentimon was my mother, Obstimon my father, and…you already know about Daijiro—"

"Wait," Takuya put up his hands, and I paused to let him voice his confusion. "I don't get it. I thought you said your family was gone. The kind of 'gone' that you told us about…you can't just come back from that, Digital World or no Digital World." I nodded briefly at his words. I remembered telling them that, but I hadn't known the truth then.

I took a deep breath and let it out slow to keep my voice level as I continued to explain, trying to keep the pain that gnawed at the corner of my heart from being seen, "I know, I know. Everything I said…well, I thought it was true. And the part about the car accident was. But I went to see them in the hospital, and they were gone. I didn't understand then that Cherubimon had taken their souls and encased them in three of the Sentinels.

"I found Dai—Vigomon, I guess—in this little place that's supposed to be sacred to Sentinels. There's a circle of candles that represent our lives, and three of them were out: Obstimon's, Sentimon's, and…" I choked on the name, tried to hide it by clearing my throat and rubbing my nose. Takuya looked at me with understanding, and I did my best to swallow the lump in my throat. "Well, anyway, that meant that their light was gone. They weren't with me anymore.

"I wasn't able to save my parents, but I…I traded…I got Daijiro back. I figured out that it was never me who couldn't change, but…_she_ wouldn't let me. Now I feel more like myself, and I don't regret what happened." The words came out with finality. Strong, true, confident. I had to believe that I really felt that way, and maybe one day I could say her name again. Maybe one day I wouldn't hate myself every time I thought it.

The Warrior beside me was uncharacteristically quiet for a very long time, so quiet that I could hear the sounds of Digimon fighting miles away. His footsteps were heavy, distracted, as he thought about all the information I'd given him. I wondered briefly if I'd said too much; it had been a pretty traumatizing few days for me, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was too much for him to take all at once.

My concern became a little sharper at the sound of his voice, so light and blank as he continued to mull over my words. "…That's a lot…for one person to go through so fast…" He was quiet for another long moment, but then he looked at me, eyes dark with worry for me, eyes that felt every ounce of my pain though he hadn't been there to know the full story. "Are you okay?"

I opened my mouth to tell him I was fine, but then I paused. Was I really that okay? After seeing the tormented souls of my parents, having almost completely forgotten about me, fade away in the light of a candle? After nearly losing my brother for the second time? After learning that my only friend for years had yearned to use me and then throw me away for her own selfish ambition and goals? After trading her for my brother, sending her to a dark place where I would never see her scarlet eyes burn against me ever again?

Could I really say I was okay when I hated to admit that I missed her hateful stare? Was I okay if I thought it was okay to fight my parents as Digimon for the rest of my life, as long as I still got to see them, got to know they were alive? If every time I thought about my family I just wanted to sit down and wonder why I hadn't tried harder to save them? If, even now, I had to do everything in my power to keep from crying, to hide the pain?

I swallowed hard before answering in a shaky, hushed voice, "…Yeah. I'll…I'll be okay…" All those things that rattled around in my head would eventually be like any other memory. I had to be patient, and wait as time rolled on. Soon enough, it wouldn't hurt so bad. Not to say it wouldn't hurt at all, but I would at least be able to think about those things. Maybe even be appreciative of what the pain led me to see, to learn.

Not wanting to think about those thoughts that hurt so badly any more, I changed the subject to something that didn't focus on me. "What happened with you guys while I was gone?" I glanced over at him and I thought I caught a glimpse of something that looked like uncertainty, the face of a boy who wasn't even sure what had happened, but I couldn't analyze it yet.

Something wasn't right anymore.

"Do you feel that?" I asked suddenly, not giving him time to start his story. My eyes searched the entire landscape as best they could, looking hard at the shadows the rock formations made and even harder at the darkness in the clouds, the unnatural darkness. I hesitated when Takuya asked what was wrong. "…Just…thought I felt something weird, is all." I didn't really want to tell him that I felt like something was watching us. Following us. How it didn't feel friendly.

I asked my question again, this time more distracted than before, but the brown-eyed boy didn't seem to notice. "Well," He started out slowly. "I guess I'll start where you did, with the whole thing about Duskmon. When it went…dark, I guess—you know, when Duskmon started flipping out about Koji and he was oozing and everything—I…think I sort of…" He paused, his face flushing slightly as he scowled.

"I think I turned into a Digimon without the D-Tector and went back to the human world. I was back in Shibuya and I saw my folks and my brother, and Duskmon was following me and hiding in the trees, and it just…" He took a minute to collect his thoughts. "Anyway, I don't know if that's really what happened or not, but I know something weird went on.

"Either way, I got back, and I couldn't find anybody. You guys completely disappeared, and I had no clue how to find you. I probably wouldn't have, too, if I hadn't stumbled across Bokomon and Neemon, who were the ones to let me know that everybody'd been captured, and that you and Koji had pretty much vanished into thin air. Which, might I add," He scowled again. "Is something that you two tend to do a lot."

I grinned and shrugged impishly. Takuya was not sated. "Anyway, we got everybody freed, you left, and we decided to get moving, hoping that you'd come back soon. We were making pretty good time and everyone was in a reasonably good mood despite the circumstances, but then Sakkakumon showed up. He sucked us into himself, which sounds really creepy and really wrong, but that's what happened.

"Once inside, we got separated by means that were even creepier and even more wrong, but by the end of it all we had two more evil Legendary Warriors' data in the bag and everyone came out better than when they'd gone in. And, as an added bonus, you came back and weren't grumbling about how you hadn't a choice." He smiled his normal, happy, lovable smile, crossing his arms behind his head as he did. "So, that's what happened."

I smirked at the way that he ended his little tale, and it made me feel a little bit better that they hadn't gone through the third world war while I was gone. "Well, aside from the obvious nervous breakdown that you had—" He glared at me, and I held my hands up for him to wait until I finished. "I'm kidding, I don't doubt that what you said really happened. Nevertheless, I'm glad nothing too serious happened while I was away.

"By the way," I decided to add this in before I forgot and it ended up causing a bunch of turmoil. "I don't remember if I told you this or not, but the reason my D-Tector is fixed and all is because I got a new evolution. Her name's Shitsurenmon; apparently, she knew that Lucemon guy that Bokomon told us about a couple of times." I was expecting a simple, 'Oh, okay' as a response, but that wasn't what I got.

Takuya snorted and covered his mouth to hide the rest of his snickers. "T-that's her name?" Unable to hold back, the brunette threw his head back and laughed loudly, the sound reverberating off of the stones and boulders that surrounded us on all sides. It took me a second to realize the reason behind his giggling, but when I did, my first reaction was to slam a hard punch into his shoulder.

His laughter stopped quickly and was replaced by a yelp and other sounds of pain that gave me a strange sense of satisfaction. "Wanna know why you're lucky I'll let this one slide?" I said with a dangerous grin, leaning towards the semi-alarmed brunette. My fingers were stroking my D-Tector as I plotted.

Takuya didn't seem as enthralled about my sudden switch to mischievousness. The boy even seemed a tad bit nervous. "…Do I?" He questioned, still gripping his throbbing shoulder and hoping that the punch hadn't done anything more than simply bruise him. I found the wariness in his eyes rather funny, personally.

"Yeah, I'd think so," I chimed with an almost smug smirk, one arm behind my back while I used the other to gesture to myself. "You _are_ dealing with the Boogey-lady here, remember? I can pull earwigs from my toes and ticks from my ears, plus the spirits of the night do my bidding. Do you really wanna piss that off?" The question came out sounding almost like a cheerful warning, and it made my grin grow a big bigger.

But I'd lost Takuya somewhere with the earwigs and the ticks. "…What?" His eyes were wide as he stared at me, filled with confusion as he wondered where the hell I'd left my brain for those past few statements. I pondered briefly about how my not being around for a while had caused this sort of reaction. Or if I'd gone off the deep end this time.

Either way, I wasn't going to try to explain. "…Never mind," I muttered with a slight shake of my head. Even if I'd wanted to explain what I'd just said, I wasn't sure that I could. My smile returned to me when the thought of my plan did; I stroked my D-Tector again. "I think that you should see who you're making fun of, though."

When Takuya gave me a puzzled look, I unclipped the device from my belt and held it up as an explanation. He tried to put an air of confidence back into the atmosphere, but my grin was making him a tad bit anxious. "Sure, sure," He said with a returning smugness, not paying attention to that fact that I was already digivolving. "But I really don't think that's going to—"

His mouth dropped open in shock at the new body that towered over his own, and I grinned behind the half-mask. When the boy finally found his voice again, he nodded his head and said, "Yeah, yeah I guess that makes a difference…" He chuckled nervously, making me feel rather accomplished, my grin growing wider, though he couldn't see it.

I reached down to pat his shoulder lightly with the tip of one of my metallic fingers. "Thought so," I declared with clear pride in what I'd accomplished, resting my chrome hands on my hips. Flicking my blonde hair to the side and remembering to keep pace with Takuya's much shorter legs, I turned my head to face him. "Maybe now you'll think twice before you poke fun at the Boo—"

I stopped short of my next step and spun around, pale eyes wide, staring hard at the ground. My breathing turned ragged and it took everything I had to be able to swallow; I felt like I was being choked by something invisible, something very, very strong. As I watched it, the ground began to turn black as if dying, began to bubble like water boiling. I felt cold, chilled, like my blood had stopped flowing, too frightened to continue in its predestined path.

Something was coming.

"Takuya, get out of here. Now." The words were hushed, my voice similar to a hiss. The panic hidden within it was noticed by the brunette, and he turned, having gotten a little ahead when I'd paused. I thought I heard him asking what was wrong with me, what I was looking at, but his words drowned in the silence that echoed out from that boiling portal. That silence…it was penetrating, steadily slicing its way into my head, boring in like a leech!

Takuya couldn't feel any of that?!

I put my hands up to the sides of my head to try to block it out, but…but it just wouldn't stop… "Get away from here, and find Koji!" I shouted again, feeling my knees beginning to shake as the pain spread down from my head like a virus. "I'll…I'll catch up with you…! There's something here…something here I have to deal with, so go!" I didn't hear it when he finally obeyed and left, I didn't feel the absence of his presence, either.

Every single one of my senses was beginning to fade into nothingness, everything replaced by a feeling of desperation, desperation to escape, to get away and hide and never see the light of day again. Because that's where they'll look first, they know you'll want to go to the light first. It's where everyone feels safe and sound, where they feel warm and loved. They think so, anyways. Because what's a little light going to do to something who really wants you? _Needs_ you?

I fought back against the noise of the silence hard, and I was able to keep my sight from fading away. But as time wore on and the quiet grew louder and louder, I wanted to give in to it, just let it win and be done. However, my attention was grasped by a new shape emerging from the boiling black slop, and I watched in horror as a thin, lanky body rose up from the ground.

It didn't look like it had a face; the helmet covered it completely, with only one seam going along the jaw of the being. Its armor, leather-like was completely white, which was astonishing since one would think that there would be some kind of blemish on it, or that the camouflage would be terrible. But the leather was perfect, undisturbed except for where it was pinched by various belts, the largest strapped diagonally across its strong chest.

He seemed to almost float before me, his eyeless gaze digging into mine, though I was unsure how he could see me at all. "…Who are you?" I asked, too loudly, my hearing still affected too heavily by the impending quiet. It was making me feel dizzy, nauseated. "Tell me your name, and what you want!" Louder than before; even the ringing was gone now.

Whatever was before me didn't reply. He continued to stare quietly, but it was not a polite gaze, not kind in the slightest. There was a horrible malevolence in his wordlessness, something that made me more afraid of an opponent than ever before. Normally, the villains I faced (and there was no doubt now that this was a villain) had something to say, something vicious or insulting, anything!

But not him. He just…stared at me. Like…like he wanted something, but he refused to speak, he refused to talk to me! What did he want? Why was he taking all the sound away?! "What?" I tried with all my might to return his gaze, but it made everything worse. It made me want to be sick, it made me feel dirty and ill. My knees buckled beneath me and hid my face from him. "What?!"

The feeling of something breaking tore through my mind, and I shuddered as something began to seep slowly into my thoughts. I tore the mask from my face and was lost in a coughing fit, the sensation that something was crawling out of my throat sending horrified shivers down my shaking body. The feeling faded away after a moment, but something tar-like began to drip from my lips, slicked by my saliva. The heavy noise it made when it hit the dirt was sickening.

That Digimon was still staring at me. His gaze felt stronger than before, more menacing. Enjoying whatever was happening to me.

I made a move to yell at him, but my voice caught in my throat, the air that had filled my lungs suddenly gone. Touching a hand to my pained throat, I tried to claw away anything that was strangling me, try to get a clear passage for the oxygen to come in through, but I couldn't. Whatever was keeping me from breathing was doing a darn good job of making sure I couldn't stop it.

That _thing_ wouldn't _look away_.

I didn't know what to do. These new sensations were getting worse and worse, and my senses were beginning to fade away. Black was gnawing at my vision, and it was all I could do to keep it at bay, because who knows what that creature would do if I passed out with it still here. That fear was the only thing of mine besides my sight that remained; everything else was either gone or had never been mine before. What would happen if this never stopped? If he never went away?

And at this rate, he was never going to let me out of his sight again.

But then something changed. Something was making noise; I let out a relieved sound, but soon regretted it. The Digimon was beginning to step back into the bubbling portal he'd come from, but his gaze was even sharper than before. He cocked his head to the side, and my head shot back to look him straight in the face, moving like something had pulled my hair, held it there.

The mute creature, disappearing into the dark muck, watched with an amused air about him as my muscles quivered. I knew now that somehow he was the one doing this to me. I had no idea how it was possible, but that had to be true. My suspicions were confirmed when a deep, rumbling laugh shook the ground beneath me, though it steadily grew louder and louder, becoming a high-pitched giggle that sent shudder after shudder down my body.

And then, as the Digimon was finally submerged, everything disappeared.

* * *

I was afraid to open my eyes when my consciousness finally returned to me, however reluctant it was. I was afraid that that pure white creature—that was still nameless—would still be there, that his portal would still be there, ready for him to make a return. But I knew that couldn't be right; all of my senses were back, and all the sound had come back, as well.

Everything was normal again.

Uneasily, pale blue eyes opened and were met by what I'd expected: Nothing. There was no one around, no one at all. I could hear the Digimon that had been fighting before, though they had calmed a bit since the last time I'd heard them. The wind was back, the sound that the dirt made as the breeze blew it here and there. The thud and crack that the rock made as it broke and fell in this dark, vacant valley.

Positive that I was alone, I rose up from the ground and stood again, still in Shitsurenmon's form. Her mind was as unsure of what had happened as mine was, though we were both sure that what had happened had both been real and unreal. What was real was that Digimon that had refused to speak to me. What was unreal was what it had done to me. That…that was some kind of illusion. A powerful one, but…still.

I knew that only because the black liquid that it had drawn from my lips was nowhere to be found, while some of the dirt where it had risen from was still tainted. The strange silence that had fallen upon me then, though, couldn't be detected anywhere, not even in that darkened spot. It must've been part of the hallucination.

Turning away from that spot, I started running off in the direction that Takuya had gone. I didn't want to stay here any longer and I had to get back to Takuya, help him find Koji. That was the main objective now. Though one had to wonder why that thing had come to me, if it had actually been after Takuya. Or if it had visited my brother and our other friends.

I shivered and prayed desperately that that wasn't the case. And it probably wasn't, since if it had been after the Warriors it would've gone chasing after Takuya when he ran off. Unless it knew that I would be a problem, which would explain why it would try to psyche me out before going after him. But that didn't make sense either, since it should've killed me if it didn't want to have me getting in the way.

Or had it just been someone passing by? Someone who wanted a bit of sick fun? I attracted those types pretty easily.

I wasn't sure, but at the moment it appeared to have left me alone, and I supposed that as long as it didn't come back for a while that was okay. It made me nervous to think that there was something that incredibly powerful out there somewhere, though, something that could put me on my back with a mere tilt of its head, a single stare from its blank, invisible eyes.

A shudder tore through me at the memory, and I focused instead on weaving through the trees of the forest that I'd broken into only a few seconds ago. There was a faint trace of Takuya's scent here; of course, joined by Bokomon, Neemon, and Patamon. That didn't surprise me very much, though it did surprise me how fast they'd gotten to him. They must've taken a different route than the one that I'd blacked out on. Or, they didn't know yet that I had Shitsurenmon's form, so maybe that hadn't recognized me.

Nevertheless, it was only the three of them, no one else. I wondered briefly if that meant that the others hadn't stayed put like we'd told them to, but I brushed that thought away quickly. I didn't want to have to think about how to find them when I was already having trouble finding Takuya and the Digimon, who were trying to find Koji, who was trying to find Duskmon. _What an intense game of hide-and-seek this is turning out to be…_

I broke out of the trees, immediately taken aback by what I saw in same rocky, dusty desert-like scene that I'd been in previously. In the air, flying against that canopy of black and purple clouds, was a gigantic dragon-like creature. Its body looked like a tanned structure made primarily of bone and thick black scales—they could've been hardened feathers, but I couldn't be sure without touching him. Its powerful wings had to pump hard to keep in the air, its heavy head drooping down slightly compared to the rest of its body.

Three bright yellow eyes glowed from dark caverns within its spiky skull, the mouth wide and gaping, lined with sharp teeth. A dirty blonde mane sprouted from behind the first row of huge spines on its head, the golden hair flowing freely but somewhat stiffly in the breeze of his flight. Its tail was long and looked like it would hurt to get smacked with.

No introduction was needed. This was Velgemon, Duskmon's Beast Spirit, the Digimon Koji had come to see. If he was here, that meant Koji was here. Probably Takuya and the Digimon as well.

I scanned the area for them, and finally spotted them in a lower part of the valley, the rocky ground cutting off into a five-or-so-foot-high cliff. The Digimon were a little ways from Koji and Takuya, but they appeared safe—except Patamon wasn't by them. I looked again for him, and was struck with horror when I saw that he was trying to fight with Velgemon, though the most that he could do was blow almost burp-like bubble-bombs at the large Digimon.

I would commend him for his bravery/stupidity later, but at the moment he needed somebody to make sure that Velgemon didn't make mincemeat out of him. Unleashing a powerful wind from one of the hatches that covered random parts of my body, I gave a quick spin to turn it into a controlled tornado and propelled myself towards the huge dragon-creature.

Clenching my fists for a moment, a grenade appeared in each hand and I tossed one in Velgemon's direction. He let out a disturbed roar when it exploded beside his face, the beast's attention immediately taken away from Patamon, who was quick to leave the fight to me and return to Bokomon. I threw the other grenade, but he was faster than what I'd expected. He swung out of the way of the bomb and came back around the explosion it made, throwing his full weight into me and knocking us both out of the sky.

I struggled to get away from him while still in the air, and was able to break my fall by tearing into a roll that had me end up back on my feet. Velgemon had come out of his falcon strike before hitting the ground and was still flying around. A deep, bellowing roar erupted from his throat, a sound so loud that a person who wasn't used to such noises would've wanted to cover his ears.

But ear-splittingly loud noises from beasts like this were the norm for the Digital World, so it didn't bother me. I returned one of my own, releasing the wind-hatch again to join him in the sky once again. However, the way that he'd bellowed made me want to pause and think for a minute, something I knew I didn't have the luxury of doing.

He'd sounded…pained. Sad and hurt. Lost, confused…out of control . I wasn't sure what to make of that note, knowing that it could've just been his voice that made him sound that way, that he might not feel that way at all. However, it made me want to wonder about him for a second, but I couldn't. I'd do it after I'd forced him to submit.


End file.
